At least 68 of the 72 people aboard were killed when a plane conducting a 27-minute journey to a vacation destination in Nepal crashed into a gorge on Sunday while attempting to land at a recently opened airport. The country’s deadliest airplane crash in three decades was witnessed by at least one eyewitness who heard calls for assistance coming from within the burning wreck.
Numerous spectators gathered near the accident site in the tourist town of Pokhara after nightfall as rescuers searched the debris at the edge of the cliff and in the ravine below. The search for the four missing people was put on hold overnight, and it was scheduled to start up again on Monday.
Bishnu Tiwari, a local resident who hurried to the crash site near the Seti River to assist in the search for remains, claimed that heavy smoke and a blazing fire hindered rescue attempts. We were unable to approach the wreckage because the flames were so intense. I overheard a man pleading for assistance, but due to the fire and smoke, Tiwari added, we were unable to assist him.
According to Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, the accident’s cause was not immediately apparent. From his home’s terrace, a witness claimed to have observed the airplane rapidly descending in the air to the ground. Finally, the plane crashed into the gorge to its left, according to Gaurav Gurung.
According to the aviation authority, the plane crashed at 10.50 am after making a final approach from close to Seti Gorge. The twin-engine ATR 72 plane was travelling from Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara, which is situated 200 kilometres (125 miles) to the west.
According to a statement from Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, the airplane was carrying 68 passengers, including 15 international nationals, as well as four staff members. Five Indians, four Russians, and two South Koreans, one each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina, and France were among the outsiders.
Eight of the world’s fourteen highest mountains, including Mount Everest, are located in Nepal, which has a history of plane disasters. Since 1946, 42 fatal aviation crashes have occurred in Nepal, according to the Aviation Safety database maintained by the Flight Safety Foundation.
The accident on Sunday is the deadliest in Nepal since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed into a hill while attempting to land in Kathmandu, killing all 167 people on board.
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