Nepal plane with 18 on board missing

A plane of the state-owned Nepal Airlines with 18 people on board went missing in Nepal Sunday afternoon, officials here said. A search operation has been launched for the aircraft in the mountainous terrain.

According to the civil aviation ministry here, the last contact with the twin-otter aircraft, carrying at least 15 passengers and three crew members, was at 1313 hrs (Nepal time). Earlier, the ministry had placed the total number of those on board the plane at 21.

Nepal Airlines spokesperson Ram Hari Sharma said the plane was flying to Jumla, in mid western Nepal, from Bhairahwa, in the southern plains of the Himalayan nation.

The plane made a stopover at the popular tourist destination of Pokhara -- the kickoff point for climbing expeditions to the 8,091-metre Mt Annapurna -- and was reported missing shortly after taking off from there.

Two helicopters of the Nepal Army and Fishtail Air have been deployed in the search operation.

The 15 passengers included a minor and a Danish national, said Mahesh Moktan, chief of Nepal Airlines at Pokhara. The crew comprised the pilot and two flight attendants.

Nepal is witnessing torrential rain since Saturday which in turn has rendered visibility poor.