POKHARA: Nepali rescuers have retrieved all 22 bodies from a plane that crashed in the Himalayas, authorities said Tuesday. 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 14,500 feet (4,400 metres).

“All 22 bodies have been carried to Kathmandu by Nepal Army’s (Mi-17) helicopter,” Tribhuvan International Airport spokesman Teknath Sitoula told AFP.

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

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.

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.