At least 68 dead in Nepal plane crash

Budrigannews.com – In Nepal’s worst aviation accident in three decades, a domestic flight operated by Yeti Airlines crashed in Pokhara on Sunday, killing at least 68 people.

The hillside where the flight carrying 72 people from Kathmandu, the capital, went down was searched by hundreds of rescue workers. The day’s search was called off by officials late at night, and they said they would resume on Monday.

Earlier, footage from local television showed rescue workers scurrying around the aircraft’s broken sections. There were licks of flames visible on some scorched ground near the crash site.

The weather had been clear, and the cause of the crash was unknown at this time.

According to the Aviation Safety Network database, Pakistan International Airlines’ Airbus A300 crashed into a hillside on its way to Kathmandu, killing all 167 passengers. This was the deadliest plane crash in Nepal since 1992.

In Nepal, which is home to eight of the world’s fourteen highest mountains, including Everest, where sudden weather changes can make for dangerous conditions, nearly 350 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes since 2000.

Since 2013, the European Union has restricted Nepali airlines’ access to its airspace due to safety concerns.

According to a statement released by the country’s Civil Aviation Authority, the plane made contact with Pokhara airport from Seti Gorge at 10:50 a.m. (0505 GMT) on Sunday. Then it went down.” It stated that at least 68 deaths were confirmed.

“Half of the plane is on the hillside,” a local resident named Arun Tamu told Reuters shortly after the plane went down. The remaining half has fallen into the Seti river gorge.

Another local resident, Khum Bahadur Chhetri, claimed that he observed the approaching flight from the roof of his house.

Chhetri told Reuters, “I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then it nosedived and went into the gorge.”

Bishnu Paudel, the finance minister, informed reporters that the government has established a panel to investigate the cause of the accident and that the panel is anticipated to report within 45 days.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority’s statement, the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft had three infants and three children aboard.

Five Indians, four Russians, one Irishman, two South Koreans, one Australian, one Frenchman, and one Argentinean were among the passengers.

One of Nepal’s most popular tourist routes is the flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara, Nepal’s second-largest city, which is located beneath the picturesque Annapurna mountain range. Many people prefer this route to the six-hour drive through hilly roads.

According to a spokesperson for Pokhara Airport, the aircraft “cruised at 12,500 feet and was on a normal descent” when it came close to the airport. Sunday’s weather was clear.

On Twitter, FlightRadar24, a flight tracking website, stated that the Yeti Airlines aircraft was 15 years old and had an outdated transponder with questionable data. In addition, it stated that the transponder’s final signal was received at 0512 GMT at a height of 2,875 feet above mean sea level.

FlightRadar24 says that Pokhara Airport is between 2,700 and 2,800 feet above mean sea level.

Yeti advertises itself as a leading domestic carrier on its website. Six ATR 72-500s make up its fleet, including the one that went down. According to the company, it also owns Tara Air, and the two together provide Nepal with the “widest network.”

Yeti stated that it was “mourning for the passengers who lost their lives” and had canceled all of its regular Monday flights.

A joint venture between Airbus and Leonardo of Italy produces the widely used twin-engine turboprop plane known as the ATR72. According to its website, Yeti Airlines operates six ATR72-500 aircraft in its fleet.

A statement from ATR stated, “ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer.”

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At least 68 dead in Nepal plane crash