An ATR 72 aircraft of the Yeti Airlines crashed today in Pokhara in Nepal. According to the initial reports, the aircraft flew from Kathmandu to Pokhara on Sunday morning and the accident took place while landing at the Pokhara airport. There were a total of 68 passengers and four crew members.
At least 32 people were killed when a Nepalese passenger plane with 72 people, including 10 foreigners, onboard crashed into a river gorge on Sunday while landing at the Pokhara airport and eight bodies have been recovered, according to media reports.
According to Tek Bahadur KC, Chief District Officer of the Kaski district, the plane crashed into the Seti river gorge. Rescue operations are currently being conducted, he was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times newspaper.
Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers following the crash.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Yeti Airlines’ 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am. Pokhara is a major tourist destination in the Himalayan nation.
“We expect to recover more bodies,” Krishna Bhandari told Reuters. “The plane has broken into pieces.”
The aircraft which crashed on the runway at the Pokhara airport in Nepal had 68 passengers on board had 53 Nepali, 5 Indians, 4 Russians, 1 Irish, 2 Koreans, 1 person from Argentina and a French national in the aircraft, the Airport authority said.
The aircraft had two infants as well.
Source: Livemint
