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World’s Riskiest Place for Flying Averages One Disaster a Year

  • Tara Air plane carrying 22 people crashed in mountains Sunday
  • 10th fatal plane crash in as many years in Himalayan nation
The wreckage of a Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Tara Air, on a mountainside in Mustang, on May 30.

The wreckage of a Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Tara Air, on a mountainside in Mustang, on May 30.

Photographer: Bischal Magar/AFP/Getty Images

Flying is notoriously risky in Nepal, the picturesque Himalayan nation that’s a favorite with adventurous tourists, pilgrims and mountaineers. On Sunday, the country suffered its 10th deadly plane crash in as many years. 

A 43-year-old twin-engine aircraft operated by Tara Air and carrying 22 people lost contact after taking off from Pokhara -- a lakeside tourist mecca nestled below the Annapurna mountain range -- for a short flight to the trekking base of Jomsom. The wreckage of the plane was found Monday on a mountainside and 14 bodies have been recovered, according to Nepalese authorities.