Nepal plane crash: Five Indians among 72 on board; at least 68 dead

A 72-seater passenger aircraft crashed near Nepal’s Pokhara International Airport on Sunday morning (January 15), killing at least 68 people on board. The Yeti Airlines plane was going to Pokhara from Kathmandu, covering a distance of 200 km, and was reportedly about to land in 10 seconds when it crashed.

Sixty-eight passengers and four crew members were on board the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed into the Seti river gorge near Pokhara airport. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), there were five Indians, four Russians, one Irish, two Koreans, one Argentinian, and a French national on board besides 53 Nepali nationals. News agency Reuters reported there were two infants on board.

#Nepal
72 passengers were on board. Plane crash at Pokhra International Airport.#planecrash pic.twitter.com/Nc95uAL2GJ

— Dhiraj Mishra (@DhirajRMishra21) January 15, 2023

Rescue operations are still underway and the airport has been closed for that. Reuters reported that 68 bodies have been recovered from the crash site so far. “We don’t know right now if there are survivors,” Yeti Airlines spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula told news agency AFP. Later reports said there are unlikely to be any survivors.

“We expect to recover more bodies,” Nepal Army spokesperson Krishna Bhandari told Reuters earlier in the day. “The plane has broken into pieces,” he added. This is said to be the worst air crash in Nepal in three decades.

Arun Tamu, a local resident, told Reuters he reached the crash site minutes after the plane went down. “Half of the plane is on the hillside. The other half has fallen into the gorge of the Seti River,” he told the agency.

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Fire after crash

Initial reports suggested the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft crashed when it was trying to land at Pokhara airport in bad weather conditions. The airport is surrounded by hills, which makes landing tricky.

#WATCH | Visual from Nepal's Pokhara International Airport where a passenger aircraft crashed earlier today. pic.twitter.com/C8XHL9f7Lu

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2023

However, a video that emerged later showed the plane apparently losing control mid-air in what looked like clear weather conditions. Also, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the plane was 15 years old. It was reportedly 10 seconds away from landing when it crashed.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ called an emergency cabinet meeting after the crash. He and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane were scheduled to visit Pokhara later on Sunday. According to news agency ANI, a five-member committee has been formed to investigate the reasons for the crash.

Nepal’s Ambassador to India issued a statement saying: “Deeply saddened by the crash of a plane carrying 72 passengers and crew members, including some Indians, in Pokhara. We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragedy.

Condolence messages from ministers

Deeply grieved on hearing about the air crash in Pokhara, Nepal. Our thoughts are with the affected families. https://t.co/ebXxx4rCbo

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 15, 2023

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.

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) January 15, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was pained by the tragic air crash and “precious lives have been lost”.

“Pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families,” he tweeted.

Pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. @cmprachanda @PM_nepal_

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 15, 2023

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the crash was “extremely unfortunate.” He tweeted, “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.”

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also tweeted, “Deeply grieved on hearing about the air crash in Pokhara, Nepal. Our thoughts are with the affected families.”

According to the CAAN, the plane took off from Kathmandu at 10.33 am. It seems to have been trying to land at Pokhara airport when it crashed on the bank of the Seti River around 20 minutes later. Images and videos posted on social media platforms showed smoke billowing from the crash site.

Earlier, local official Gurudutta Dhakal told AFP that the wreckage was on fire and rescue workers were trying to douse the blaze. “All agencies are now focused on first dousing the fire and rescuing the passengers,” AFP quoted him as saying.

In May last year, a plane crash in Nepal killed all 22 on board, including four Indians.

(With agency inputs)