All bodies recovered from Nepal plane crash

Nepali rescuers have retrieved all 22 bodies from a plane that crashed in the Himalayas, authorities said.

"All 22 bodies have been carried to Kathmandu by Nepal Army's (Mi-17) helicopter," Tribhuvan International Airport spokesman Teknath Sitoula said on Tuesday.

"After postmortem, they will hand over the dead bodies to their family members."

The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have also been recovered from the crash site, Sitoula said.

There were 16 Nepalis, four Indians and two Germans on the twin-prop aircraft.

The Germans, in their 50s, were heading for a two-week trek in the remote Upper Mustang area with their Nepali guide.

About 60 people were involved in the search mission, including the army, police, mountain guides and locals, most of whom trekked uphill for miles to get there.

Many spent the night camped at the high-altitude site.

READ MORE: Wreckage of plane with 22 on board located in Nepal mountains

Investigation committee formed

Air traffic control lost contact with the Twin Otter shortly after it took off from Pokhara in western Nepal on Sunday morning and headed for Jomsom, a popular trekking destination.

Its wreckage was found a day later, strewn across a mountainside at an altitude of around 4,400 metres.

The chief of Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority, Pradeep Adhikari, said the government had formed a committee to investigate the accident.

"Our pilots fly in very challenging terrains and in unpredictable weather. We are looking into what can be done to minimise such accidents, especially in monsoon and pre-monsoon periods," Adhikari said.

The cause of the crash is yet to be confirmed, but Pokhara Airport spokesman Dev Raj Subedi said on Monday that the aircraft, operated by Nepali carrier Tara Air, did not catch fire in the air.

READ MORE: Nepal flight missing with passengers on board