KATHMANDU - A twin otter having 18 on board including a child has gone missing since early afternoon on Sunday, officials said.

Officials here suspected that the aircraft have suffered a crash till as it has not been in contact for last three hours. The plane, 9NA BB, is owned by Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), Nepal' s national flag carrier.

Ram Hari Sharma of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said the plane left Sunday from the resort town of Pokhara after making an unscheduled fuel stop, but that contact was lost a few minutes later.

The plane had 15 passengers and three crew members on board and was heading toward the town of Jumla.

It has been snowing this weekend in parts of the mountainous region, and visibility has been low due to fog.

A rescue helicopter was trying to reach the area where contact with the plane was lost, but the weather conditions were making it difficult.