Nepal crash: Dozens killed as plane crashes near Pokhara airporton January 15, 2023 at 12:30 pm

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Video posted on social media shows an aircraft flying low over a populated area before banking sharply.

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Dozens of people have been killed after a plane with 72 people on board crashed near an airport in central Nepal.

The Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara crashed on landing before catching fire.

Videos posted on social media show an aircraft flying low over a populated area before banking sharply.

At least 68 people are confirmed to have died, officials said. Several critically injured survivors were taken to hospital, unconfirmed reports said.

Local resident Deeveta Kal told the BBC how she rushed to the crash site after seeing the aircraft plunge from the sky shortly after 11:00am local time (05:15 GMT).

“By the time I was there the crash site was already crowded. There was huge smoke coming from the flames of the plane. And then helicopters came over in no time,” she said.

“The pilot tried his best to not hit civilisation or any home,” Deevta Kal added. “There was a small space right beside the Seti River and the flight hit the ground in that small space.”

The flight set out with 68 passengers on board, including at least 15 foreign nationals, and four crew members.

Rescuers gather at the site of a plane crash in Pokhara

Image source, Empics

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the 15-year-old twin-engine ATR 72 stopped transmitting position data at 05:05 GMT and the last signal from the aircraft was received at 05:12.

Hundreds of Nepalese soldiers are involved in the operation at the crash site in the gorge of the Seti, just one and a half kilometres from the airport.

Video taken where the plane came down showed thick billowing black smoke and burning debris.

“We expect to recover more bodies,” an army spokesman told Reuters, saying the plane “has broken into pieces”.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called an emergency meeting of his cabinet and urged state agencies to work on rescue operations. A panel to investigate the cause of the crash has been set up.

Of the passengers, 53 are said to be Nepalese. There were five Indian, four Russians and two Koreans on the plane. There was also one passenger each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France among others.

Rescuers inspect the site of a plane crash in Pokhara

Image source, Getty Images

Aviation accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, often due to its remote runways and sudden weather changes that can make for hazardous conditions.

A Tara Air plane crashed in May 2022 in the northern Nepalese district of Mustang, killing 22 people.

In early 2018, 51 people were killed when a US-Bangla flight travelling from Dhaka in Bangladesh caught fire as it landed in Kathmandu.

The European Union has banned Nepalese airlines from its airspace over concerns about training and maintenance standards in the country’s aviation industry.

- Advertisement -

Discover

Sponsor

Latest

SNP members offered two routes to independenceon January 14, 2023 at 5:14 pm

The party says the next UK election will either be a de facto referendum or a mandate for an indyref2 vote in 2026.Image source,...

‘Quick and nasty’ tornado causes destruction in Irish villageon December 10, 2023 at 3:22 pm

While the tornado caused a lot of damage, it is not thought that anyone is badly hurt.Image source, Willie Donnellan/Leitrim ObserverBarra BestBBC News NI...

Lhakpa Sherpa: Woman climbs Everest for record tenth timeon May 12, 2022 at 2:08 pm

You could say single mother Lhakpa Sherpa is used to overcoming obstacles in her life.

ScotRail disruption continues after strike actionon August 20, 2022 at 11:36 pm

The operator says some Sunday services will be affected by the staggered reopening of signal boxes.Image source, Getty ImagesSome ScotRail services will be disrupted...

Players Championship: Viktor Hovland makes hole-in-one at Players Championshipon March 14, 2022 at 5:34 pm

Watch as Viktor Hovland of Norway makes a hole-in-one on the par-three eighth at the Players Championship.