Six killed in Nepalese military plane crash

A military plane on a rescue mission crashed in a remote mountainous region in western Nepal, with all the six people on board feared dead.

The British Norman-Islander plane went missing after losing contact with control tower yesterday along the border with India and army said they did not expect any survivors after four bodies were recovered.

The remains of the plane were found scattered in a dense forest in remote Bowang village of Baglung district, 300 km west of Kathmandu, Nepal Army spokesperson Ramindra Chhetri said.

He said four bodies had so far been recovered from the crash site in a difficult terrain after rescuers reached the spot early this morning.

Further search is being carried out, the spokesperson said.

The plane with six Nepalese nationals on board was returning to the capital, Kathmandu, carrying a patient, his relative and a nurse.

The reason for the crash is not yet known. The army spokesperson said dense fog, snow and extreme cold was hampering the rescue efforts.

Bad light prevented army helicopters from landing at the crash site.

“The wreckage of the aircraft was scattered as far as 100 meters away,” he said.

The army lost contact with the plane at 7:05 pm local time after it had taken off from Nepalgunj in south-western Nepal and was seen nose-diving in the Dhorpatan hunting reserve.