A private helicopter carrying 24 people including a junior minister and at least seven foreigners went missing in a remote region of eastern Nepal today.
The flight was taking officials, diplomats and conservation workers to attend the handover of the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area to the local community by the global environmental group WWF, which organised the trip.
Among the 20 passengers were junior forest minister Gopal Rai, his wife and three senior government officials, WWF said. Also on board were a Finnish diplomat, two Americans including one employee of the US government aid agency USAID, a Canadian and an Australian, as well as two Russians in the crew of four.
The helicopter left the village of Ghunsa at 12 noon (6.15am GMT), but failed to reach Taplejung, 300 km (190 miles) from the capital Kathmandu.
Airport officials coordinating the rescue operation called off aerial and ground search operations at nightfall, but said they would begin again tomorrow morning.
The Russian-made helicopter is owned by a local company, Sri Airlines. There are more than a dozen private airlines in Nepal, which has poor roads and some of the world's highest peaks.