Most of the 19 bodies retrieved as of early Wednesday evening were charred beyond recognition, said Bishwa Raj Khadka, deputy police superintendent for Myagdi district.
Search efforts at the crash site some 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) above sea level have been hampered by dense fog, according to Khadka.
Tara Air spokesman Bhim Rai initially said 21 people were on board, with three crew members among them. He updated the number to 23 -- including two foreigners, one Chinese and one Kuwaiti -- after learning that two infants were also on the plane, even if their names were not on the initial report.
The aircraft was supposed to have flown from Pokhara -- one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal -- to Jomsom, the gateway for one of the most popular Himalayan trekking routes.The Twin Otter plane was supposed to be in the air for only 19 minutes after it took off around 7:50 a.m.
Wednesday (9:05 p.m. ET Tuesday) from the city of Pokhara heading to the town of Jomsom, Rai said.
But eight minutes in, contact was lost.
Soon after, Myagdi district residents saw flames shooting up from a forest and called security officials, Nepali Tourism and Aviation Minister Ananda Pokharel said. It didn't take long for arriving authorities to spot the plane's wreckage.
They're now trying to figure out why the aircraft went down
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