Kathmandu: A Nepalese passenger plane carrying 72 people, including five Indians, crashed into a river valley on Sunday while landing at Nepal’s Pokhara airport, killing at least 68 people. A rescue officer gave this information.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Yeti Airlines 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at 10:33 am. While landing at Pokhara airport, the plane crashed on the banks of river Seti between the old airport and the new airport.
An official of CAAN’s Coordination Committee, Search and Rescue told the agency over the phone, “So far 68 bodies have been recovered from the accident site.
The official said the bodies were yet to be identified. He also said that efforts are on to recover four more bodies. Apart from five Indians, four Russians, and two Koreans, one each from Australia, France, Argentina, and Israel were on board the plane. Yeti Airlines spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula said there was no information about any survivors so far. “The weather at Pokhra was absolutely fine and the engine of the aircraft was also in good condition.
He said, “We do not know what happened to the airplane. However, some local media reports said that the plane had veered too much while landing, which may have been the cause of the accident. This is a new airport built under a Chinese loan and was inaugurated just two weeks ago. The five Indians who died in the accident have been identified as Abhishek Kushwaha, Vishal Sharma, Anil Kumar Rajbhar, Sonu Jaiswal, and Sanjay Jaiswal.
