Nepal: 68 dead as passenger plane with 72 onboard crashes in Pokhara, search operation to resume on Monday

The death toll in the Yeti Airlines plane crash in Nepal has risen to 68.

72 people including 10 foreigners, were onboard the passenger plane when it crashed into a river gorge on Sunday while landing at the Pokhara International Airport.

#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. pic.twitter.com/DBDbTtTxNc

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2023

The passengers include five Indians. According to a Nepal airport official, the plane had 53 Nepali, five Indians, four Russians, one Irish and two South Korean nationals onboard.

Pokhara, located 200 km (125 miles) west of Kathmandu, is the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit, a popular hiking trail in the Himalayas.

A total of 68 passengers and four crew members were on board the 9N ANC ATR72 aircraft that crashed between the old airport and the Pokhara International Airport, Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesperson of Yeti Airlines, told The Kathmandu Post.

Meanwhile, a video that purportedly shows the plane tilting mid-air moments before crashing is widely being shared on social media.

Horrifying last moments of an ATR plane crash from Nepal in Pokhara that was bound for Kathmandu. All 72 people on board are dead. pic.twitter.com/4JZIvnThPQ

— Wajahat Kazmi (@KazmiWajahat) January 15, 2023

Rescue operations are underway and the airport is closed for the time being.

Images and videos circulating on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site.

A 72-seater passenger aircraft crashes on the runway at #Pokhara International Airport in #Nepal. Rescue operations underway and the airport is closed for the time beinghttps://t.co/Ch9knvDqZY pic.twitter.com/245myscDcP

— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 15, 2023

The plane caught fire as it crashed, and rescue workers were trying to put it off, a local official said.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called an emergency Cabinet meeting in the wake of the tragedy, Reuters reported.

The PM said the plane was flying from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara and he urged security personnel and the general public to help with the rescue efforts.

The prime minister left for Tribhuvan International Airport to understand the details of the accident of the plane flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara with 4 crew members and 68 passengers, including 10 foreigners, onboard.

"Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has reached Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu after the accident of the Yeti Airlines ANC ATR 72 plane carrying passengers from Kathmandu to Pokhara," tweets PMO Nepal pic.twitter.com/lNle3Pmupf

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2023

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia condoled the loss of lives in the plane crash.

The loss of lives in a tragic plane crash in Nepal is extremely unfortunate. My thoughts & prayers are with the families of the bereaved. Om Shanti.

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) January 15, 2023

Nepal prone to aviation disasters

Nepal's air industry has boomed in recent years, carrying goods and people between hard-to-reach areas as well as foreign trekkers and climbers.

But it has been plagued by poor safety due to insufficient training and maintenance.

Nepal has had a fraught record of aviation accidents, partly due to its sudden weather changes and airstrips located in hard-to-access rocky terrains.

The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns.

The Himalayan country also has some of the world's most remote and tricky runways, flanked by snow-capped peaks with approaches that pose a challenge even for accomplished pilots.

Aircraft operators say Nepal lacks infrastructure for accurate weather forecasts, especially in remote areas with challenging mountainous terrain where deadly crashes have taken place in the past.

The weather can also change quickly in the mountains, creating treacherous flying conditions.

The last major air accident in Nepal happened on 29 May 2022, when all 22 people on board, including four members of an Indian family, were killed as a Tara Air plane crashed in Nepal's mountainous Mustang district.

With inputs from agencies

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