Nepal Plane With 72 On Board Crashes, 16 Bodies Found, More Feared Dead
Nepali media reported at least 16dead bodies have been recovered.
New Delhi:
A plane carrying about 72 persons from Kathmandu crashed in Nepal’s Pokhara this morning, Yeti Airlines said. Nepali media reported at least 16 dead bodies have been recovered from the wreckage. There were 68 passengers and four crew members on board the plane that crashed between the old and new airports in the city, located in western Nepal. The twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines was en route from Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, an official told news agency Reuters.
Rescue operations have been hindered because of a raging fire at the wreckage, Nepali journalist Dilip Thapa told NDTV.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Yeti Airlines’ 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu at 10:33 am.
While landing at the Pokhara airport, the aircraft crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport.
“We don’t know right now if there are survivors,” the airline’s spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula told news agency AFP.
The plane caught fire as it crashed, and rescue workers were trying to put it off, a local official was quoted as saying.
Rescue efforts are still on.
