An aircraft with 72 people on board crashed in Nepal yesterday, Yeti Airlines and a local official said, in the latest aviation disaster to hit the Himalayan nation.
“There are 68 passengers on board and four crew members... Rescue is underway, we don’t know right now if there are survivors,” airline spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula said.
He said the plane, which took off in Kathmandu for Pokhara, crashed between the central Nepalese city’s domestic airport and the international one, which opened on Jan. 1.
Photo: Reuters
After the crash, rescue workers were hosing down the wreckage of the ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop while smoke drifted out of a ravine as hundreds of people watched. The area was strewn with what appeared to be parts of the aircraft, including seats.
“Responders have already reached there and trying to douse the fire. All agencies are now focused on first dousing the fire and rescuing the passengers,” Kaski District Assistant Chief Officer Gurudutta Dhakal said.
Footage shared on social media, which appeared to be shot just after the crash, showed raging flames on the ground and black smoke billowing into the sky from debris strewn across the crash site.
Photo: AP
Another unverified clip shared online showed a plane flying at a low altitude over a residential area banking sharply to the left, followed by a loud explosion.
Nepal’s air industry has boomed in the past few years, carrying goods and people between hard-to-reach areas, as well as foreign tourists, but it has been plagued by poor safety due to insufficient training and maintenance.
The EU has banned all Nepalese 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.
Aircraft operators have said Nepal lacks 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.
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