The wreckage of a plane that went missing in Nepal’s mountains with 22 people on board has been found, officials confirmed.
At least 20 people have been confirmed dead as the search operation continues.
The Tara Airlines aircraft, which was on a 20-minute scheduled flight to the town of Jomsom, took off on Sunday from Pokhara, 125 miles east of Kathmandu. It lost contact with the airport tower shortly afterwards.
The army said the plane crashed in Sanosware in the Mustang district close to Jomsom.
According to tracking data from flightradar24.com, the 43-year-old aircraft took off from Pokhara at 9.5 a.m. (4.10am GMT) and transmitted its last signal at 10.07 a.m. (04.22am GMT) at an altitude of 12,825 feet.
The aircraft had been carrying 12 Nepalis, four Indian passengers, two Germans, and three crew members.
The plane’s destination is popular with foreign hikers who trek the mountain trails and also with Indian and Nepalese pilgrims who visit the revered Muktinath temple.
The Twin Otter, a rugged plane originally built by Canadian aircraft manufacturer De Havilland, has been in service in Nepal for about 50 years, during which it has been involved in about 21 accidents, according to aviationnepal.com.
The plane, with its top-mounted wing and fixed landing gear, is prized for its durability and its ability to take off and land on short runways.
Production of the planes originally ended in the 1980s. Another Canadian company, Viking Air, brought the model back into production in 2010.
