Relatives gathered at Pokhara Airport, Nepal, as authorities on May 30 say they have recovered 21 bodies from a plane crash site.

Several family members and friends were seen in tears at the airport where the Tara Air plane departed before crashing.

The Nepal Civil Aviation Authority on Monday said 21 bodies were recovered from the wreckage of the Tara Air flight which crashed in Mustang district on Sunday. The Tara Airplane with 22 people on board had taken off at 9.55 am from the tourist destination of Pokhara. However, it lost contact with the air traffic control after 12 minutes.

Pieces of the wreckage of the aircraft were found after nearly 20 hours since the plane went missing, the Nepal Army said on Monday. The Canadian-built plane had crashed at Thasang-2 in Mustang district at a height of 14,500 feet, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said.

Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Everest, has a record of air accidents.