Sunday morning’s Nepal aircraft disaster killed at least 68 people. Kathmandu-Pokhara flight crashed. Pokhara, 200km west of Kathmandu, is a popular tourist destination. Yeti Airlines spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula said the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft carried 72 people, including four crew members. A government statement claimed Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal summoned an emergency cabinet meeting after the jet accident.
“I am profoundly shocked by the terrible and tragic accident of Yeti Airlines ANC ATR 72 which was travelling from Kathmandu to Pokhara with passengers,” he tweeted. “I respectfully ask to security officers, other Nepal government agencies, and the people to undertake an effective rescue.” The government established an accident investigation commission. Responders are fighting the fire there. Gurudutta Dhakal, a local official, said all authorities are now focusing on extinguishing the fire and rescuing people. Rescue personnel and spectators gathered around the aircraft’s wreckage as local television showed dense black smoke. After attempting a landing, an eyewitness witnessed the aircraft spin wildly before falling nose-first towards its left and plummeting into the valley. The crashed jet caught flames. The eyewitness said smoke was everywhere. According to the aviation authorities, the craft contacted the airport from Seti Gorge around 10:50am (05:05 GMT). “Then it crashed.” Arun Tamu, a local resident who arrived minutes after the jet crashed, told Reuters, “Half of the plane lies on the hillside.” “The other half fell into the Seti river gorge.” The gathering around the crash scene has made the rescue operation harder, officials told Al Jazeera. They’re advised to depart by rescuers. From Kathmandu, Ramyata Limbu told reporters that Pokhara villagers stated weather and visibility were “excellent” when the jet crashed. “It’s stunning and surprising,” Limbu stated. The jet was having troubles before it crashed into a canyon near the airport, according to eyewitnesses.
According to Aviation Safety Network, the disaster is Nepal’s worst since March 2018, when a US-Bangla Dash 8 turboprop flight from Dhaka crashed on landing in Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 passengers on board. Tara Air’s Pokhara-bound jet crashed in May. Since 2000, at least 309 people have perished in plane or helicopter accidents in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 tallest mountains, including Everest.
