Aircraft with 22 people on board makes emergency landing in Nepal

KATHMANDU: A passenger aircraft en route to the mountainous district of Mustang made an emergency landing at Pokhara airport minutes after take-off on Sunday, airport officials confirmed.

"The aircraft operated by Summit Air, a private flight service provider in Nepal made an emergency landing at around 8 am (NST) due to a technical glitch," Devraj Chalise, Information Officer at Pokhara airport told ANI.

"The plane was returned to Pokhara Airport due to a technical problem in the engine. It returned back to the airport within seven minutes after it was airborne. The pilot reported some issues in the indication and made the landing with the help of a single engine. Investigation over the issue is underway," Chalise added.

As per the officer, the plane was back on the runway at 8:06 am (NST). There were 18 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft. Earlier in May, the passenger aircraft of Tara Air had crashed into the mountainous terrain killing all people on board.

The aircraft went off the radar on May 30 with 22 people on board and was found in pieces a day later.

The twin-otter aircraft with 13 Nepalis, 4 Indians and 2 German tourists on board along with 3 crew members has gone missing in northwestern Nepal. According to the airport officials, the turboprop aircraft operated by Tara Air, en route to Jomsom from Pokhara crashed at an elevation of 14, 500 feet at the base of Manapathi peak in Mustang District.

A preliminary investigation made by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has shown that the crash might have occurred due to bad weather conditions. The aircraft had taken off from Pokhara en route to Jomsom, the district headquarters of Mustang, which hosts the pilgrimage of Muktinath Temple.

The district also known as "Land beyond the Himalayas" is located in the Kali Gandaki valley of the Himalayan region of Western Nepal. Mustang (from the Tibetan Muntan meaning "fertile plain") the traditional region is largely dry and arid.

The world's deepest gorge that goes down three miles, vertical between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna mountains runs through this district.