Nepal, Kathmandu
CNN
—
At least 68 people were killed when a plane crashed near the city of Pokhara in central Nepal on Sunday, a government official said.
An ATR 72 plane operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines had 72 people on board when it crashed, including four crew members and 68 passengers, said Yeti Air spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula. According to Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, 37 were men, 25 were women, three were children and three were infants.
Search operations were halted after sunset and resumed Monday morning, Army spokesman Krishna Prasad Bhandari said. was still working to locate the
Sunday’s crash was the third deadliest crash in the history of the Himalayan nation, according to Aviation Safety Network data. The only incidents in which more people died occurred in July 1992 and he in September. The crashes involved aircraft operated by Thai Airways and Pakistan International Airlines, killing 113 and 167 people respectively.
All 53 passengers and four crew members were Nepalese, according to the Civil Aviation Authority. A total of 15 foreigners were also on board, including five Indians, four Russians, and two Koreans. The rest were private citizens of Australia, Argentina, France and Ireland.
The plane was flying from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara, the country’s second most populous city and gateway to the Himalayas, state media Rising Nepal reported. Pokahara is located approximately 129 kilometers (80 miles) west of Kathmandu.
The last time the plane made contact with the Pokhara airport was around 10:50 am local time, about 18 minutes after takeoff. It then fell into the nearby Seti river valley. A civil aviation authority statement said first responders from the Nepalese army and various police stations were deployed at the crash site and conducting rescue operations.
A video clip on social media on Sunday appeared to show the moments before the plane crashed. The film, which appears to have been shot from the roof of a house in Pokhara, shows the plane flying low over a populated area and rolling on its side before it disappears from view in a clip. A loud explosion can be heard at the end of the video.
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of clips.
A five-member committee was also formed to investigate the cause of the crash. The quintet has 45 days to submit a report to the government, according to Vishnu Paudel, Nepal’s deputy prime minister and government spokesperson.
Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he was “deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident”.
“I sincerely appeal to the security personnel, all agencies of the Nepalese government and the general public to initiate an effective rescue,” Dahal said on Twitter.
The government has declared a holiday to commemorate the victims on Monday, a spokesman for the prime minister said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed their condolences, as did Australia’s ambassador to Nepal.
Nepal’s Yeti Airlines has announced that it will cancel all scheduled flights on Monday 16 January in mourning for the victims of the crash.
The Himalayan nation of Nepal, home to 8 of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, has a record of air crashes. Its weather can change suddenly, and runways are usually located in mountainous areas that are difficult to reach.
Last May, a Tara Airlines plane carrying 22 people crashed in the Himalayas at an altitude of about 14,500 feet. It was his 19th plane crash in 10 years and his 10th fatality in the same period, according to the country. Aviation safety network database.
The aircraft involved in Sunday’s crash was an ATR 72-500. This is a twin prop turbojet commonly used by low cost airlines in the Asia Pacific region. Airplanes built by ATR, a joint partnership between European airlines Airbus and Leonardo, are usually highly rated.
However, they have been involved in crashes before. His two ATR 72s, operated by the now-defunct Taiwanese airline TransAsia, July 2014 When February 2015The second prompted Taiwanese authorities to temporarily suspend all ATR 72s registered on the island.
In total, various models of ATR 72 were involved in 11 fatalities before Sunday’s crash in Nepal. According to Aviation Safety Network.
ATR said in a statement on Sunday that it had been informed of the accident.
“Our initial thoughts are with all individuals affected by this,” the statement read. increase.”
