Local media footage depicted dense black smoke emanating from the crash site. Several victims had been discovered from the wreckage, which an army spokeswoman described as “shattered”
A plane carrying 72 people crashed in Nepal, killing at least 69 people, according to officials.
Rescue workers and spectators gathered around the aircraft’s wreckage, as shown in local television footage of dense black smoke pouring from the accident site.
Social media footage depicted the aircraft flying low before beginning to spin.
Yeti Airlines said that at least 69 bodies had been discovered at the crash scene near Pokhara International Airport in the country’s west.
“We anticipate recovering further bodies,” said army spokesman Krishna Bhandari. “The aircraft has shattered into fragments.”
A representative for the airline stated that there were 68 passengers, including three infants, and four crew members on board.
Five of the passengers were Indian, four were Russian, and two were South Korean; one passenger each was from Ireland, Australia, France, and Argentina.
The remainder of the aircraft is in the gorge.
A police official stated that the crash location is situated in a ravine between two hills, making it difficult for rescue teams to access it.
Arun Tamu, a local neighbor, stated, “Half of the plane lies on the slope.” The second half has fallen into the Seti river gorge.
Khum Bahadur Chhetri stated that he “saw the plane wobbling and shifting to the left and right before its nose suddenly dove and it crashed into the canyon.”
He stated that locals transported two passengers to the hospital.
Pokhara, located 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Kathmandu, is the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit, a major trekking circuit in the Himalayas. The airport has only been operational for two weeks.
Emergency cabinet meeting
The prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, convened an emergency cabinet meeting and ordered security officers and locals to assist with rescue attempts.
A Yeti Airlines ATR 72 with two engines was en route from Kathmandu, according to an airport official.
Tomorrow, Yeti Airlines will cancel all scheduled flights “out of respect for the passengers who lost their lives.”
According to the flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the aircraft was 15 years old and had an outdated transponder with faulty data.
According to the Aviation Safety Network database, it was Nepal’s deadliest flight accident since 1992.
Histories of plane crashes
Nepal, which is home to eight of the world’s fourteen tallest mountains, including Everest, is prone to plane crashes because the weather can change quickly and create hazardous conditions.
Since 2013, the European Union has prohibited Nepalese planes from using its airspace due to safety concerns.
In 2012, 22 persons perished in a plane crash on a mountaintop.
Alao in 2018, a US-Bangla passenger jet from Bangladesh crashed upon landing in Kathmandu. Resulting in the deaths of 49 of the 71 passengers on board.
In 1992, a Pakistan International Airlines plane carrying 167 people crashed into a mountainside while attempting to land in Kathmandu.
