Aspiring actor, tourists among 22 killed in Nepal plane crash

Prakash Sunuwar was an aspiring actor residing in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.

To help him realize his dream, he worked as a trekking guide.

The 37-year-old was known for attracting international clients and transporting them to exotic Himalayan vistas.

On Sunday, he flew to Jomsom, a major trekking and pilgrimage destination in the Mustang province bordering Tibet, with two German tourists, Meike Graf Grit and Uwe Willner.

The Tara Air 9N-AET flight, however, crashed less than 20 minutes after taking off from Pokhara, a popular tourist destination about 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu.

Authorities in Nepal were able to rescue 21 bodies from the wreckage site in Sanosware Cliff in Thasang-2, a village in Mustang district, at an altitude of 14,500 feet on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, the final body was discovered.

Sunuwar told his best friend and dance partner Roshan Bantawa last Wednesday that he would be gone for a month, taking some tourists to Pokhara and then Mustang.

“That was the last time everyone saw him at the dance studio, I didn’t know he wouldn’t come back,” Bantawa told.

The German tourists also dies in the crash.

Bantawa recalls fondly a friend whose life was tragically cut short in the Tara Air jet tragedy on Sunday.

“He was a really energetic person who liked to sing, dance, and perform,” he added, saying that he was also a good writer.

Sunuwar was also a natural in front of the camera, having appeared in two YouTube series, one of which, Khai Ke, Khai Ke, has over 18,000 subscribers and over 10,000 views in just two months.

On TikTok, he had more than 3,500 followers.

His last Facebook status read, “Show the real life everyone will dance with happiness. Show fake life and you are deceiving yourself. I thank you god that even in these circumstances you are with me.”

Seven members of Rajan Kumar Golay’s family were on the same flight.

Golay was on a pilgrimage to Muktinath, a sacred temple for both Hindus and Buddhists, with his family, including his elderly parents.

Golay’s Facebook page was inundated with poignant obituaries from his loved ones, extended family, and friends, including a photo of the deceased family posing in front of an aeroplane at the airport.

“I’ve lost what I thought I’d never lose. My uncle and grand-parents were very nice. They helped everyone and god took them away from us,” he told.