Missing Tara Air plane found crashed, 14 bodies recovered
Kathmandu(PTI): Rescuers on Monday pulled out 14 bodies from the wreckage of the Tara Airlines plane that crashed in Nepal's mountainous Mustang district on Sunday with 22 people on board, including four Indians, and there were slim chances of finding any survivors, according to media reports.
The turboprop Twin Otter 9N-AET plane had four Indian nationals, two Germans and 13 Nepali passengers besides a three-member Nepali crew.
Pieces of the wreckage of the passenger plane that crashed on Sunday morning were found at 14,500ft in Sano Sware Bhir of Thasang in Mustang district in northwestern Nepal, after nearly 20 hours since the plane went missing, the Nepal Army said on Monday.
The search and rescue troops have physically located the plane crash site. Details will be followed, Nepal Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Narayan Silwal said on Twitter.
Crash site: Sanosware, Thasang-2, Mustang, he tweeted along with a picture of what appears to be the wreckage of the aircraft. Lt Mangal Shrestha, a police inspector and a guide have already reached the site, he said.
"Other rescue team members from different agencies are trying to reach the sites using small helicopters. Every possible means to reach the site is being considered," Brig Gen. Silwal said.
The airline issued the list of passengers which identified four Indians as Ashok Kumar Tripathy, his wife Vaibhavi Bandekar (Tripathy) and their children Dhanush and Ritika. The family was based in Thane city near Mumbai.
The plane took off at 9:55 am from Pokhara and lost contact with air control about 12 minutes later at 10:07am, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
The search and rescue team reached the crash site on Monday morning.
Sudarshan Bartaula, a spokesperson of Tara Air, said that the bodies of 14 people have been found.
As the bodies have been scattered over a 100-metre radius from the main impact point, the search and rescue team is collecting them," he told the newspaper.
The plane slammed into the mountain breaking into pieces, said Bartaula. The impact has blown the bodies all over the hill, he said.
The photo posted on the social media site shows the tail and one wing of the aircraft remain intact.
The helicopter dropped three rescuers from Nepal Army, Nepal Police and a high altitude rescue guide early in the morning. As the area can accommodate only one chopper at the crash site, it is shuttling the rescuers, said Bartaula.
Search was suspended on Sunday because of bad weather and failing light.
Inda Singh of Dana, who reached the crash site, said the plane was found in a damaged condition, the Republica newspaper reported. Singh said there was no fire on the aircraft. The aircraft could have met with an accident after hitting a cliff nearby.
Although the bodies are intact no one is likely to be found alive, he said.
This is probably because the fire did not start. The dead bodies are intact and the faces of all victims are recognisable, he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
