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No sign of missing Nepal chopper

By Suman Pradhan for CNN

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KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- A helicopter with 24 people on board -- including Western aid workers and Nepalese diplomats -- reportedly crashed Saturday in a remote Nepalese village.

Rescue workers have been unable to locate the crash site due to bad weather conditions, authorities said Sunday. A third search is scheduled once the weather improves.

The crash was first reported by an army helicopter pilot flying in Nepal's eastern district of Taplejung, said Hemant Kumar Uprety, a Taplejung airport worker.

Local villagers also reported hearing two loud explosions shortly after the helicopter's take-off.

The first explosion reportedly occurred five minutes after take-off and the second one occurred 15 minutes later, Uprety said. Officials speculate the second blast was from the helicopter's gas tank exploding.

Nepal's Civil Aviation Ministry said Sunday three helicopters searched for the missing chopper but the operation was called off due to bad weather and poor visibility.

Nepal's monsoon season is nearing its close, but continuous rain and low clouds have hampered flights.

Airport officials were planning for a third search mission but are waiting for weather conditions to improve, Uprety said. That search party will consist of four helicopters.

The chopper, operated by Shree Air, went missing Saturday while traveling from the Kanchenjunga Nature Conservation Reserve to Suketar in Taplejung. The passengers, including two Americans, were to catch a flight to Kathmandu.

Family members of the two missing Americans, Margaret Alexander and Matthew Preece, arrived in Nepal Sunday after hearing the news about the helicopter, an official with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) told reporters at a Sunday news conference.

Other passengers included officials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Finnish Embassy in Kathmandu.

Also aboard was Nepal's State Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation Gopal Rai, his wife, and other government and conservation officials. It was chartered by the Nepal office of World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Local radio reports, citing journalists in Taplejung district, said that the chopper went missing in Taplejung in bad weather. The area is about 500 kilometers (310 miles) east of Kathmandu, the capital.

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