A search team has located the wreckage of the Russian-made MI-17 helicopter, which crashed on Saturday, killing all 24 people on board, including a state minister.

Ground rescue team comprising armymen and civilians discovered the wreckage of the helicopter at Gumsha within the Kanchanjunga Conservation Area in Taplejung district, 400 km south-east of Kathmandu, an official at the Army Headquarters said.

Some dead bodies were also found but it was difficult to identify them as they were completely burnt, he said, adding that chances of finding any survivors was very slim.

A private radio quoting Tribhuvan International Airport sources said all 24 people on board including Nepal's Forest Minister Gopal Rai and his wife were dead.

Twenty VIP passengers, including high-ranking government officials, diplomats, journalists, conservation experts and four crew members were on board the chopper charted by WWF Nepal.