68 out of 72 recovered dead, 4 missing as plane crashes in Nepal

Minutes before landing at a newly opened airport in the resort town of Pokhara in Nepal, a Yeti Airlines plane carrying 72 passengers and crew crashed, taking the lives of most aboard the plane.

As the search operation for the day ended, the death toll reportedly reached 68, with the remaining four still missing.

The twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft, which was headed to Pokhara from Kathmandu, was carrying 53 Nepalis, 5 Indians, 4 Russians, 2 Koreans as well as 1 Argentinian, Irish, Australian, and French national each, according to the airline. Media reports suggest that six of those aboard the airplane were children.

Rescue workers halted the operations with four still missing, with the operations to be resumed on Monday. The fire that erupted at the site of the crash reportedly added hindrances to the search operations.

‘The flames were so hot that we couldn’t go near the wreckage. I heard a man crying for help, but because of the flames and smoke we couldn’t help him,” stated local resident Bishnu Tiwari to media outlets.

The Pokhara-bound airplane left Kathmandu at about 10:33 am, with only 25 minutes of travel between the two places. The plane is said to have crashed 20 minutes after take-off, suggesting that the plane was likely descending when the crash happened.

An emergency cabinet meeting was called soon after the crash by Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and a five-member commission of inquiry has reportedly since been set up by the Nepal Government.

It may be pertinent to note that a Thai Airways aircraft had crashed near the same airport killing 113 passengers just two months before the incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took to Twitter to offer condolences, stating, “Pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. @cmprachanda @PM_nepal_.”