Nepal Plane Crash Live Updates: At least 68 people were killed on January 15 after an aircraft carrying 72 people, including five Indians, crashed in Nepal’s Pokhara region, an army spokesman said. The government of Nepal has declared a one-day national mourning tomorrow in wake of one of country's worst air crash in nearly 30 years.
Yeti Airlines' 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am. Pokhara is a major tourist destination in the Himalayan nation.
While landing at the Pokhara airport, the aircraft crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport. There were a total of 68 passengers and four crew members.
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Nepal airport spokesperson says search operation at crash site will resume on Monday. Bodies of the remaining four individuals are still not found. (Reuters)
Nepal Plane Crash Updates: Nepal's Yeti airlines says it has cancelled all regular flights for January 16 after crash incident
Nepal Plane Crash Updates: Aircraft manufacturer ATR releases statement
"ATRbeen informed that an accident occurred in Nepal involving anATR72-500 aircraft. Our thoughts are with the affected individuals.TheATRspecialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation andthe customer," it said.
Yeti Airlines took to the skies with its first commercial flight more than two decades ago and currently has a fleet of sixATRplanes.
Nepal plane crash: Four of the five Indians who died were planning to visit Pokhara for paragliding activities
Of the five Indians who were feared dead in the plane crash four were planning to participate in paragliding activities in the tourist hub of Pokhara, a local resident said.
The five Indians were identified as Abhisekh Kushwaha, 25, Bishal Sharma, 22, Anil Kumar Rajbhar, 27, Sonu Jaiswal, 35, and Sanjaya Jaiswal, a Yeti Airlines official said.
Among the five Indian nationals, four had just arrived in Kathmandu from India on Friday. (PTI)
Nepal plane crash: Eyewitnesses recall the horrific accident
"We heard a loud sound and came rushing to the spot (where the plane crash happened). There we could spot a few injured people and dead bodies in the debris," said an an eye-witness Deepak Sahi.
"We were in our houses when we heard a loud sound and saw a huge cloud of smoke (at the spot where a plane crashed). We rushed to the spot with our friends and made efforts to save the injured people," another eye-witness of the incident Mahmood Khan shared.
Nepal Plane Crash update: The search operation has been halted for today and bodies are yet to be retrieved, news agency ANI reports citing Army officials
Nepal plane crash updates | Initial rescue efforts hampered because airplane crashed onto treacherous terrain: Eyewitness
The rescue efforts were hampered because the airplane had crashed on treacherous terrain on the banks of Seti River, making it difficult for the villagers to go near the site of the crash.
Arun Tamu, a local, whose house was situated nearthesite oftheplane crash, recountsthechain of events followingthelatest aviation disaster that hit Nepal.
“We heard a loud sound, and when we rushed tothescene (ofthecrash), we weretheonly people fromthevillage. It took some time forthepolice to arrive atthescene, even as we began our rescue efforts,” Tamu was quoted as saying by MyRepublica newspaper. (PTI)
After deadly plane crash, Nepal authorities to conduct technical inspection for all domestic flights
The Nepal government has instructed concerned authorities to conduct a technical inspection of all domestic flights after a Nepalese passenger plane with 72 people on board, including five Indians, crashed into a river gorge while landing at the newly-opened Pokhara airport on Sunday, killing at least 68 people.
Nepal Plane Crash LIVE updates: Shankar P Sharma, Nepal Ambassador to India says, "This is very unfortunate we have already expressed our condolences. There were 5 Indians on the aircraft as per the press release shared by the airlines but details are yet to arrive."
Explained: Deadly aircraft crashes common in mountainous Nepal
Here are details of plane and helicopter crashes this century in the Himalayan country, where several airlines fly to small airports in remote hills and mountains shrouded in clouds and cut off from roads.
JAN 15, 2023
A twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft carrying 72 people, operated by Nepal's Yeti Airlines, crashed in Pokhara, killing at least 64.
MAY 29, 2022
Sixteen Nepalis, four Indians and two Germans died on a De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter aircraft that crashed 15 minutes after taking off from Pokhara, 125 km (80 miles) west of Kathmandu, on a Sunday morning.
FEB. 27, 2019
A helicopter crashed in bad weather in eastern Nepal, killing all seven people on board, including the tourism minister.
MARCH 12, 2018
Fifty-one of 71 people on a Bangladeshi airliner died when it crashed in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the Nepalese capital's hill-ringed airport.
Read more about the accident-prone regionhere
Nepal Plane Crash death toll update: 68 bodies recovered from crash site in Pokhara, says rescue official to news agency PTI.
Nepal's Pokhara airport was inaugurated two weeks ago and built with Chinese assistance
The Pokhara International Airport, which witnessed the fatal crash, was inaugurated two weeks ago by Nepal's newly-appointed Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and built with Chinese assistance.
Built in the backdrop of the pristine Annapurna Mountain Range, the airport was officially inaugurated on January 1, 2023.
The flagship project was part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation.
The Nepal government signed a $215.96 million soft loan agreement with China in March 2016 for the construction of the airport in this tourist hub, according to Kathmandu Post newspaper. (PTI)
Nepal air crash updates: Death toll from Nepal plane crash rises to at least 67, reports AFP
At least 67 people are confirmed dead after a plane carrying 72 people crashed in Nepal on Sunday, police said.
"Thirty-one (bodies) have been taken to hospitals," police official AK Chhetri told AFP, adding that 36 other bodies were found in the gorge where the aircraft crashed.
Nepal plane crash: Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal's & Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane's visit to Pokhara has been cancelled, informs Nepal Secretariat
Nepal government forms 5-member commission of inquiry to probe Yeti Airlines plane crash
The Nepal government formed a five-member commission to investigate the crash of Yeti Airlines.
Nepal Plane Crash Live Updates:
Details of the 5 dead Indians at plane crash - Abhishek Kushwaha, Bishal Sharma, Anil Kumar Rajbhar, Sonu Jaiswal, Sanjaya Jaiswal
(TIMES NOW report)
Nepal Plane Crash Live Updates:
The government of Nepal declares a one-day national mourning tomorrow in wake of the aircraft crash at Pokhara airport.
The death currently stands at 29, as per Nepal's Civil Aviation authority.
Nepal Plane Crash Live Updates:
15 foreigners among 72 on board in Nepal plane crash: airline
29 confirmed killed in Nepal plane crash, 'some' survivors: official
"We have recovered 29 bodies so far and (we) have also sent some survivors to the hospital for treatment," Gurudatta Dhakal, assistant chief official in Kaski district, told AFP.
Nepal Plane Crash Live Updates:
Death toll rises to 32 with 72 people onboard, including five Indians
Indian Embassy in Nepal provides helpline contacts
The Indian Embassy in Nepal released helpline numbers after 5 Indians passed awayin the Yeti Airlines plane crash on January 15in Pokhara. The embassy is in touch with the Nepalese authorities and is currently assessing the situation.
Helplines of Embassy:
I) Kathmandu: Shri Diwakar Sharma:+977-9851107021
II) Pokhara: Lt Col Shashank Tripathi: +977-9856037699
About Yeti Airlines
Established in May 1998 and is the parent company of Tara Air. Nepal's second largest domestic carrier in 2021. Along with sister airline Tara Air, it has the largest network of flights across Nepal. Part of Yeti World - Nepal’s largest travel and tourism group. It was the first Nepalese airline to attain IATA safety standards
Source: Company website
'Difficult Airport, tough landing and take-off': Here's what top Nepal officials said on Nepal crash
Pokhara's airports have hard landings and takeoffs due to its mountainous terrain, top government officials said. Officials said that the takeoff and landing are difficult at this airport and that sharp cuts are required. Over the past few years, Nepal's air industry has boomed, transporting goods, people, and foreign trekkers between hard-to-reach areas. Due to insufficient training and maintenance, it has been plagued with poor safety. Due to safety concerns, all Nepali carriers have been barred from flying in the European Union's airspace, according to News18.
In this case, the aircraft is an ATR 72-500 that has been registered and serial numbers 754 and 9N-ANC for 15 years.
Transponder data on this aircraft were unreliable due to the age of the transponder. The quality of the data is verified as we download high-resolution data.
Nepal PM Prachanda leads effective rescue operations after Pokhara plane crash
After a Nepalese passenger plane with 72 people on board crashed near the Pokhara airport on Sunday, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda instructed all government agencies to conduct effective rescue operations.
Following the crash of a Yeti Airline ATR-72 near the Pokhara airport, the prime minister called an emergency Cabinet meeting. As reported in My Republica, he instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs, security personnel, and all government agencies to conduct effective rescue operations in the tragic accident.
(PTI)
Weather was clear, reportedly says Nepal civil aviation authority spokesman
Although Nepal is known for its rugged mountains and unpredictable weather, a spokesperson for the Nepal civil aviation authority told Reuters that "weather was clear" when Yeti Airlines crashed in Pokhara, according to reports.
He added that rescue operations were on, the reports added.
Citizens from India, Russia, Ireland and France onboard the Aircraft
Nepal Pokhara Crash LIVE News Updates: Of the 68 passengers onboard the aircraft in Nepal, there were 53 Nepali citizens, 5 Indian nationals, 4 Russians, One Irish, 2 Koreans, 1 Argentinian and a French national, the airport authority said.
Why Nepal experiences recurring plane crash incidents?
Airfields located in difficult-to-access rocky terrains and sudden weather changes have contributed to Nepal's high number of aviation accidents. Known for its eight of the world's fourteen highest mountains, the mountainous country has some of the trickiest runways with routes heading to remote locations that would test even the most experienced pilots. Furthermore, the rapidly changing weather in the mountains complicates its weather forecasting infrastructure. On May 29, a Tara Air plane crashed in Nepal's mountainous Mustang district, killing all 22 people onboard, including four members of an Indian family, according to a report by News18.
Nepal Plane Crash Live Updates:
Aircraft crash at Pokhara Airport in Nepal | 53 Nepali, 5 Indian, 4 Russian, One Irish, 2 Koreans, 1 Argentinian and a French national were on board, according to Airport Authority, reported by ANI.
Crashed plane was reportedly using archaic technologies
The Yeti Airlines aircraft that crashed in Pokhara on Sunday was using archaic technologies and was not in accordance with international flying standards, as per reports.
Nepal Plane Crash Live Updates:
PM Pushpa Kamal Dahalcalls emergency meeting
Nepal PM calls for emergency Cabinet meet in wake of Pokhra plane crash
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency Cabinet meeting in the wake of the tragedy, Reuters reported.
The Prime Minister has urged security personnel and the general public to help with the rescue efforts, Associated Press reported.
Nepal Plane Crash Live Updates:
A total of 68 passengers & four crew members were on board the Yeti airlines aircraft that crashed between the old airport and the Pokhara International Airport, Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesperson of Yeti Airlines: The Kathmandu Post
Indian Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia shows condolences
In a statement, Indian Union Minister for Civil Aviation & Steel Jyotiraditya M. Scindia expressed his condolences for the deaths that occured in the Yeti Airlines plane crash on Sunday afternoon. Taking to Twitter, Scindia wrote: “The loss of lives in a tragic plane crash in Nepal is extremely unfortunate. My thoughts & prayers are with the families of the bereaved. Om Shanti.”
Yeti Airlines with 68 passengers crashes, rescue operation starts
According to reports, Yeti Airlines' aircraft crashed in Pokhara on Sunday because the aircraft was not equipped with modern technology.
At least 16 killed in Nepal air crash, says army spokesman
At least 16 people were killed on Sunday after an aircraft crashed in western Nepal's Pokhara, an army spokesman said, as hundreds of rescue workers scoured the hillside crash site.
""We expect to recover more bodies," Krishna Bhandari told Reuters. "The plane has broken into pieces."
There were 72 people on the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines and flying from Kathmandu, capital of the small Himalayan country, said an airport official.
Local television showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds of people gathered around the wreckage of the aircraft.
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