Eds: Releads with rescuers reaching site, bodies recovered, quotes authorities =
Kathmandu (dpa) - Sixteen bodies were recovered Monday from an aeroplane that crashed with 18 people aboard in western Nepal, police said.
Rescue teams of police and soldiers arrived in the morning at the crash site in Masinalekh village of Argakhanchi district.
“We have recovered 16 bodies so far. Not all are in a condition in which they can be identified. We managed to land a small helicopter about 200 metres from the crash site and are trying to collect the bodies,” police officer Bam Bahadur Bhandari said by phone from the crash site.
The Nepal Airlines Twin Otter plane was on a domestic flight when it went missing with 18 people on board in bad weather Sunday.
Argakhanchi district officer Sagar Mani Pathak said the crash site was on a high hill covered by heavy snow, which made it difficult for rescuers to reach.
“Technically, I can’t say what might have gone wrong, but so far it appears like the bad weather could have caused the crash,” Bhandari said.
He said the bodies would be airlifted to Kathmandu.
“We’re still trying to find a place where we can land the army’s rescue helicopter. The crash site is steep, where it is difficult for helicopters to land.”
About 100 rescuers had arrived at the location.
The Nepal Civil Aviation Authority said there were 14 adult passengers, one infant and three crew on the plane. One of the passengers was from Denmark, and the rest were Nepalese.
Avenues TV said all 18 bodies had been recovered.
Contact with the plane was lost 33 minutes after takeoff. The authority said it had left the western lake city of Pokhara and was bound for Jumla in the north. Nepal had been hit by heavy snow and rain over a period of four days.
Nepal has a poor aviation safety record. Last year, the European Union blacklisted Nepal's airlines on the grounds of unsatisfactory safety standards. In its 60 years of aviation history, Nepal has recorded more than 70 crashes in which more than 700 people have died.
# dpa NOTEBOOK
## Internet
- [Setopati: list of occupants](http://dpaq.de/q1LrU)
* * * *
The following information is not for publication
## dpa Contacts
- Reporting by: Pratibha Tuladhar
- Editing by: Thomas Long
Tel: +66 2 7142073; <englishservice@dpa.com>
dpa pt tlo ses
Kathmandu (dpa) - Sixteen bodies were recovered Monday from an aeroplane that crashed with 18 people aboard in western Nepal, police said.
Rescue teams of police and soldiers arrived in the morning at the crash site in Masinalekh village of Argakhanchi district.
“We have recovered 16 bodies so far. Not all are in a condition in which they can be identified. We managed to land a small helicopter about 200 metres from the crash site and are trying to collect the bodies,” police officer Bam Bahadur Bhandari said by phone from the crash site.
The Nepal Airlines Twin Otter plane was on a domestic flight when it went missing with 18 people on board in bad weather Sunday.
Argakhanchi district officer Sagar Mani Pathak said the crash site was on a high hill covered by heavy snow, which made it difficult for rescuers to reach.
“Technically, I can’t say what might have gone wrong, but so far it appears like the bad weather could have caused the crash,” Bhandari said.
He said the bodies would be airlifted to Kathmandu.
“We’re still trying to find a place where we can land the army’s rescue helicopter. The crash site is steep, where it is difficult for helicopters to land.”
About 100 rescuers had arrived at the location.
The Nepal Civil Aviation Authority said there were 14 adult passengers, one infant and three crew on the plane. One of the passengers was from Denmark, and the rest were Nepalese.
Avenues TV said all 18 bodies had been recovered.
Contact with the plane was lost 33 minutes after takeoff. The authority said it had left the western lake city of Pokhara and was bound for Jumla in the north. Nepal had been hit by heavy snow and rain over a period of four days.
Nepal has a poor aviation safety record. Last year, the European Union blacklisted Nepal's airlines on the grounds of unsatisfactory safety standards. In its 60 years of aviation history, Nepal has recorded more than 70 crashes in which more than 700 people have died.
# dpa NOTEBOOK
## Internet
- [Setopati: list of occupants](http://dpaq.de/q1LrU)
* * * *
The following information is not for publication
## dpa Contacts
- Reporting by: Pratibha Tuladhar
- Editing by: Thomas Long
Tel: +66 2 7142073; <englishservice@dpa.com>
dpa pt tlo ses
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