Nepalese plane missing with 22 on board

A plane operated by a private airline in Nepal has gone missing with 22 people on board, airline and government officials told Reuters.

The small plane was flying on Sunday from the tourist town of Pokhara, some 200km northwest of the capital Kathmandu to Jomsom, about 80km to the northwest, they said.

It is operated by Tara Air which mainly flies Canadian-built Twin Otter planes.

An airline official said the plane was carrying four Indians and two other foreigners, though their nationality was not known.

Nepal, home to the world’s highest mountain, does have a record of accidents on its extensive domestic air network, with changeable weather and airstrips in difficult mountain locations.