Nepal: Yeti Airline’s Plane Crash In Pokhara District; 68 Passengers On Board; Death Toll Reaches 40

Nepal: A heart wrenching incident took place in Nepal, where a plane carrying about 72 people from Kathmandu crashed in Nepal’s Pokhara this morning, said Yeti Airlines. According to the media report, at least 40 dead bodies have been recovered from the wreckage.

News agency ANI reported the visuals from the incident. It wrote, “#WATCH | A passenger aircraft crashed at Pokhara International Airport in Nepal today. 68 passengers and four crew members were onboard at the time of crash. Details awaited.”

Details

Officials said that 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. The twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines was enroute from Kathmandu, capital of Nepal.

15 foreign nationals, including 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 search operation has resumed… There has not been any significant improvement in the weather. Two helicopters have flown toward the area but they have not been able to land yet,” said Pokhara Airport spokesman Dev Raj Subedi.

The crash happened around 20 minutes after the take-off, suggesting the place might have been on the descent. Rescue operations have been hindered because of a raging fire at the wreckage, media reported.

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Official Statements

According to the Civil Aviation Authorities of Nepal (CAAN), the plane took off from Kathmandu at 10:33 AM.

“We expect to recover more bodies,” Krishna Bhandari told the media.

“The plane has broken into pieces,” he added.

Moreover, Chief District Officer of Kaski district, Tek Bahadur KC said that the plane crashed into the Seti river gorge. Rescue operations are currently being conducted.

Ahead of the incident, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called an emergency cabinet meeting following the plane crash.

PM Pushpa has arrived to the place of incident. In a tweet, ANI shared visuals and wrote, “Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, along with Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane to arrive in Pokhara today, in wake of the aircraft crash at Pokhara airport. A five-member committee has been formed to investigate the reasons for the crash. Visuals from the spot.”

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