Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority said on Twitter that the bodies had been collected and had not yet been identified.
Prem Nath Thakur, general manager of Kathmandu’s Tribune International Airport, told CNN on Monday that bad weather was still a concern, but efforts to locate the remaining passengers would continue as long as possible.
“Search and rescue teams are at the site going through the rubble,” Thakur said. “Once all the passengers are found, their bodies will be sent to Kathmandu.”
Search operations by the Nepal Army and Nepal Police were suspended late Sunday, but due to light and inclement weather, the plane was prevented from flying by helicopters to the last known area.
An airport spokesman said the wreckage was about 14,500 feet high. The spokesman added that investigators were also searching for a valley between the two mountains.
The plane, which was flying from Pokhara to the popular tourist city of Jomsom in central Nepal on Sunday, lost contact with the air traffic control within 12 minutes of departure, Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority said. Flights between two cities are usually 20-25 minutes.
According to Nepal’s Interior Ministry official Pinot PK, officials believe the incident was due to bad weather.
The plane was carrying 19 passengers and three crew. The ministry said the 22 people on board were two German nationals, four Indians and 13 Nepalese nationals. It is not known which country the two passengers belong to.
The plane lost contact with the control tower five minutes before landing in Jomsom, an airline official told Reuters anonymously. Tara Air flies Twin Otter turboprop aircraft mainly built in Canada. The missing plane made its maiden flight in April 1979, according to the flight surveillance website Flightradar24.
Pokhara is located 129 kilometers (80 miles) west of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
Nepal, with 8 of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, has a record number of plane crashes. Its weather can change abruptly and airstrips are usually located in mountains that are difficult to reach.
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