68 Dead As Nepal Plane With 72 On Board Crashes Minutes Before Landing In Pokhara
The plane was close to landing at the Pokhara airport, when it crashed on the bank of the Seti River. The crash happened around 20 minutes after the take-off, suggesting the aircraft might have been on the descent.
At least 68 people died today in Nepal after a plane carrying about 72 people from capital Kathmandu crashed in Pokhara this morning, news agency AFP said, quoting the police. There were 68 passengers and four crew members on board the plane that crashed between the old and new airports in the city, located in western Nepal.
ANI
"Thirty-one (bodies) have been taken to hospitals," police official AK Chhetri told AFP, adding that 36 other bodies were found in the gorge where the aircraft crashed.
Aircraft took off from Kathmandu
The twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines was en route from Nepal's capital Kathmandu. 15 foreign nationals, and six children, were on board. 53 Nepali, 5 Indian, 4 Russian, 2 Koreans, 1 Argentinian, and one each from Ireland, Australia, and France were in the plane, the airlines said in a statement.
The plane crashed between the old and new airports in the city, located in western Nepal. The twin-engine aircraft took off from Kathmandu, capital of Nepal at 10:33 am, an official told news agency Reuters.
The plane was close to landing at the Pokhara airport, when it crashed on the bank of the Seti River. The crash happened around 20 minutes after the take-off, suggesting the aircraft might have been on the descent. The flight time between the two cities is 25 minutes.
Nepal Plane Crash : At least 16 dead as Yeti Airlines flight with 72 passengers onboard crashes in Pokhara!#Nepal #PlaneCrash #YetiAirlines pic.twitter.com/QhtYmSjYKB
¡ª Thimira Navod (@ImThimira07) January 15, 2023
Wreckage on fire
Rescue operations have been difficult because of a raging fire at the wreckage. Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' called an emergency cabinet meeting soon after the crash, and the Nepal government has formed a five-member commission of inquiry to probe the incident.
Images and videos on social media platforms showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site.
Video of what seems to be moments before the crash of Yeti Airlines?? ATR72 carrying 72 passengers near Pokhara Airport#aerowanderer #aviation #avgeek #nepal #yetiairlines pic.twitter.com/hk12Edlvpf
¡ª Aerowanderer (@aerowanderer) January 15, 2023
The plane caught fire as it crashed, and rescue workers were trying to put it out, a local official was quoted as saying.
Crash in May last year
Last year in May, 22 people were killed after a Tara Air plane crashed on a mountain at Sano Sware Bhir in Thasang of Mustang. Sixteen Nepalis, including three crew, four Indian and two German nationals were in the plane.
Nepal's airline business has been plagued with concerns around safety, and inadequate training of staff. The European Union has since 2013 put Nepal on the flight safety blacklist, ordering a blanket ban on all flights from the Himalayan country into its airspace, after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) flagged safety concerns.
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