A 72-seater passenger aircraft crashed on the runway at Pokhara International Airport in Nepal on January 15. The ATR 72 aircraft of Yeti Airlines flying to Pokhara from Kathmandu, was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members. Till now, 68 bodies have been recovered, said rescue official to news agency PTI.
Five Indians and five foreigners were among the passengers on board.
Currently, the search operation for the crashed aircraft have halted for the day, news agency ANI reported quoting Army officials.
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The aircraft crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport while landing. Rescue operations are underway and the airport is closed for the time being. The wreckage was on fire and rescue workers were trying to put out the blaze, according to locals.
EU Ban on Nepali carriers
Nepal's air industry has boomed in recent years, carrying goods and people — besides foreign trekkers and climbers — between hard-to-reach areas. But it has been plagued by poor safety due to insufficient training and maintenance.
The European Union (EU) has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns. The Himalayan country also has some of the world's most remote and tricky runways, flanked by snow-capped peaks with approaches that pose a challenge even for accomplished pilots.
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Aircraft operators say Nepal lacks the infrastructure for accurate weather forecasts, especially in remote areas with challenging mountainous terrain where deadly crashes have taken place in the past. The weather can also change quickly in the mountains, creating treacherous flying conditions.
Previous crashes
In May 2022, a plane operated by the Nepali carrier Tara Air crashed killing all 22 on board —16 Nepalis, four Indians and two Germans. The air traffic control (ATC) lost contact with the twin-propeller Twin Otter shortly after it took off from Pokhara and headed for Jomsom, a popular trekking destination.
Its wreckage was found a day later, strewn across a mountainside at an altitude of around 14,500 feet (4,400 metres). About 60 people were involved in the search, most of whom had trekked uphill for miles to get there.
After that crash authorities tightened regulations, which included allowing planes to fly only if favourable weather was forecast throughout the route.
In March 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines plane crash-landed near Kathmandu's notoriously difficult international airport, killing 51 people.
That accident was Nepal's deadliest since 1992, when all 167 souls aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane died when it crashed while approaching Kathmandu.
Just two months earlier, a Thai Airways aircraft crashed near the same airport, killing 113 people.
(With agency inputs)
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