A plane with 15 people on board disappeared while flying in the mountains of Nepal this Sunday, according to information issued by the authorities.
The Tara Airlines plane was flying in a popular tourist route before disappearing without a trace.
Overcast weather has prevented search helicopters from taking off in the area of the flight’s last known location, authorities said.
“A search helicopter returned to Jomsom due to bad weather without locating the plane,” the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.
“The helicopters are ready to take off to search from Kathmandu , Pokhara and Jomsom once weather conditions improve. Army and police search teams have departed for the site”.
A ground, rescue and search team has been deployed in the area near Mount Dhaulagiri, the seventh highest peak in the world with 8,80 meters, said police officer Prem Kumar Dani.
The plane was on a scheduled flight from 15 minutes to the hill town of Jomsom; took off from the tourist city of Pokhara, 43 miles east of Kathmandu.
The aircraft lost contact with the airport tower shortly after takeoff; the airline confirmed that the plane was carrying four Indians, two Germans and 16 Nepalese, including three crew members. Seven of the passengers were women, he said.