The nation’s Civil Aviation Authority posted the announcement to Twitter on Sunday, whereas rescuers had been scouring the crash web site close to the Seti River, about 1.6 kilometres away from Pokhara International Airport.
At the crash web site, rescuers used ropes to drag out our bodies from the wreckage, elements of which had been hanging over the sting of the gorge. Some our bodies, burned past recognition, had been carried by firefighters to hospitals, the place grief-stricken kin had assembled.
It was not instantly clear what triggered the airplane to crash.
Local resident Bishnu Tiwari, who rushed to the crash web site to assist search seek for our bodies, stated the rescue efforts had been hampered due to thick smoke and a raging hearth that engulfed the plane.
“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,” Tiwari stated.
A witness to the crash stated he noticed the plane spinning violently within the air after it started to try a touchdown, watching from the terrace of his home. Gaurav Gurung stated the airplane fell nose-first in direction of its left after which crashed into the gorge.
“The plane caught fire after the crash. There was smoke everywhere,” Gurung stated.
The aviation authority stated the plane final made contact with the airport from close to Seti Gorge at 10.50am. earlier than crashing.
The twin-engine ATR 72 plane, operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines, was flying from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara, a 27-minute flight. It was carrying 68 passengers together with 15 overseas nationals, in addition to 4 crew members, Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority stated in a press release. The foreigners included 5 Indians, 4 Russians, two South Koreans, and one every from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France.
There has been no additional details about the Australian passenger.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for remark.
Tek Bahadur Okay. C., a senior administrative officer within the Kaski district, stated he anticipated rescue staff to search out extra our bodies on the backside of the gorge.
Images and movies shared on Twitter confirmed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash web site as rescue staff, Nepali troopers, and crowds of individuals gathered across the wreckage of the plane to search out survivors. The plane’s fuselage was cut up into a number of elements that had been scattered down the gorge.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who rushed to the airport after the crash, arrange a panel to research the accident.
“The incident was tragic. The full force of the Nepali army, police has been deployed for rescue,” he stated.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry stated in a press release that it is nonetheless attempting to verify the destiny of two South Korean passengers and has despatched employees to the scene.
The sort of airplane concerned, the ATR 72, has been utilized by a number of airways world wide for brief regional flights. Introduced within the late Eighties by a French and Italian partnership, the plane mannequin has been concerned in a number of lethal accidents through the years. In 2018, an ATR 72 operated by Iran’s Aseman Airlines crashed in a foggy, mountainous area, killing all 65 aboard.
ATR recognized the airplane concerned in Sunday’s crash as an ATR 72-500 in a tweet. According to airplane monitoring knowledge from flightradar24.com, the plane was 15 years outdated and “equipped with an old transponder with unreliable data.” It was beforehand flown by India’s Kingfisher Airlines and Thailand’s Nok Air earlier than Yeti took it over in 2019, in keeping with data on Airfleets.web. Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 planes, firm spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula stated.
Pokhara, situated 200 kilometres west of Kathmandu, is the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit, a preferred climbing path within the Himalayas.
Pokhara International Airport started operations solely two weeks in the past. It was constructed with Chinese building and monetary help. The Chinese ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, stated in a tweet he was “very shocked” to study of the accident.
“At this difficult time, our thoughts are with Nepali people. I would like to express my deep condolences to the victims, and sincere sympathies to the bereaved families,” he wrote.
Sunday’s crash is Nepal’s deadliest since 1992, when all 167 individuals aboard a Pakistan International Airlines airplane had been killed when it plowed right into a hill because it tried to land in Kathmandu.
Nepal, dwelling to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, together with Mount Everest, has a historical past of air crashes. According to the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety database, there have been 42 deadly airplane crashes in Nepal since 1946.
Last yr, 22 individuals died when a airplane crashed on a mountainside in Nepal. In 2016, a Tara Air Twin Otter flying from Pokhara to Kathmandu crashed after takeoff, killing all 23 individuals aboard.
In 2012, an Agni Air airplane flying from Pokhara to Jomsom crashed, killing 15 individuals. Six individuals survived. In 2014, a Nepal Airlines airplane flying from Pokhara to Jumla crashed, killing all 18 on board.
In 1992, all 167 individuals aboard a Pakistan International Airlines airplane had been killed when it plowed right into a hill because it tried to land in Kathmandu.
