Kathmandu: A Tara Air passenger plane with 21 people on board has gone missing during a domestic flight over the Himalayas in Nepal, officials say.
Among those on board were two foreign tourists and two children.
Official Yogendra Kuwar said the plane was on an 18-minute flight Wednesday, but lost contact after takeoff. He said there were no landing strips between the two airports the plane was flying between.
The plane had taken off from Pokhara, a resort town west of Kathmandu, and was heading north to Jomsom, which is the starting point for trekkers going into mountainous areas.
The Twin Otter aircraft was operated by Tara airlines in Nepal. A search and rescue operation has been launched, and the fate of the aircraft is unknown.
There were conflicting reports about the number of people on board the aircraft, but police put the number at 23, including 20 passengers and 3 crew members.
