The information given by a helicopter on search mission was wrong and the Makalu Air plane out of contact while on way to Simikot from Surkhet is still missing, according to Manager at the Surkhet Airport Binod Panta.
“The helicopter had earlier informed us that the missing plane has been found at the riverbed of Hila river of Bajura. But the information was wrong. The plane is still missing,” Panta told Setopati.
The single-engine plane (9N-AJU) that left Surkhet with 1,170 kilograms of food grains at 6:12 Wednesday morning was scheduled to land at Simikot at 6:55. There are no passengers in the plane with the cabin crew including pilot Kiran Bhattarai and co-pilot Aditya Nepali.
Helicopters are deployed in search of the nine-seater plane.