Nepal: 14 bodies recovered from wreckage of missing Tara Air plane

Fourteen bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a plane that went missing in Nepal.

The army confirmed the deaths of 14 of the 22 passengers that were on-board the Tara Air plane on Monday.

The plane lost contact with the airport tower on Sunday while flying in an area of deep river gorges and mountaintops on a 20-minute flight.

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The army said the plane crashed in Sanosware in Mustang district close to the mountain town of Jomsom where it was heading after taking off from the resort town of Pokhara, 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Kathmandu.

Aerial photos of the crash site showed aircraft parts scattered on rocks and moss on the side of a mountain gorge.

According to tracking data from flightradar24.com, the 43-year-old aircraft took off from Pokhara at 9:55am (04:10 GMT) and transmitted its last signal at 10:07am (04:22 GMT) at an altitude of 12,825 feet (3,900 meters).

Four Indians and two Germans were on the plane.

The three crew members and other passengers were Nepali nationals.

The plane's destination is popular with foreign hikers who trek the mountain trails and also with Indian and Nepalese pilgrims who visit the revered Muktinath temple.