KATHMANDU: A Twin Otter belonging to the state-owned Nepal Airlines Corporation, en route to Jumla from Pokhara, has been missing since this afternoon. The condition of all 18 on board, including three crew members, an infant and a Danish national, was not known till going to the press.

The RA183 flight had taken off from Pokhara airport at 12:43pm and was supposed to land in Jumla at around 1:45 pm. The 9N-ABB aircraft, which has been flying for over 40 years and whose engine was overhauled around two months ago, was aviated by pilot Shanker Shrestha and co-pilot Rabindra Banjara. Another crew member in the aircraft was flight attendant Muna Maharjan.

“Before the plane went missing, the pilot had held the last communication with the Bhairahawa airport control tower at 1:13 pm, when he said he was returning due to weather condition,” Deputy Director at Tribhuvan International Airport’s Rescue Co-ordination Centre Bimlesh Karna told The Himalayan Times. “Since the communication snapped after that it was not clear whether the pilot was planning to return to Pokhara or land at some other airport.”

An air search operation was launched soon after that. But the aircraft could not be found till late in the evening. “We have suspended air rescue operation for today, as helicopters cannot conduct search operations in dark. We will resume the operation around 5:00am tomorrow,” Karna said.

A ground search operation was also launched by mobilising police and army personnel of Gulmi, Arghakachi and Palpa districts. “The team walked to a place around one and a half hours from Khidim in Arghakachi district, where locals had heard a big bang. But the aircraft could not be located,” Karna said, adding, “The ground search operation has also been suspended till tomorrow morning. But police and army personnel are in stand-by mode and would be mobilised immediately if required.”

This is the second air accident involving NAC aircraft in the last two years. During the previous air crash in Mustang in May, no casualty was reported. NAC has been conducting its domestic operations using two aircraft.

Quick fact

• Flight No: RA183

• Aircraft No: 9N-ABB

• No of crew members: 3

• No of passengers: 15

Feared dead

• Pilot Shanker Shrestha

• Co-pilot Rabindra Banjara

• Flight attendant Muna Maharjan

• Manab Sejuwal

• Gauri Kathayat

• Tek Bahadur Mahatara

• Nanda Mahatara

• D Mahatara

• Barsha Hamal Neupane

• Uma Tamang

• Dr Bikalpa Pokharel

• DP Upadhyaya

• Rajendra Prasad Devkota

• Dipak Shrestha

• D Shahi

• R Chaulagain

• M Mathiesen, a Danish national

• Infant (name not available)

Information on passengers

KATHMANDU: Among the missing, Manav Sejuwal is the district chairman of the Nepali Congress in Jumla, while Dr Bikalpa Pokharel is medical director at the District Public Health Office, Barsha Neupane (Hamal), a staff nurse at DPHO, and Rajendra Prasad Devkota is branch manager of Agriculture Development Bank in Jumla. Barsha was on board with her infant son.

Major Dipak Shrestha of the Nepali Army, Gauri Kathayat, chairwoman of Nari Aawaj, a local FM and Tek Bahadur Mahatara, a local school teacher with his wife Nanda were also on board.

 The Himalayan Times