Nepal plane crash: Unlikely there are survivors, police say
16-01-2023, 08:45

Font size: [ A+ ] / [ A- ]

Hopes of finding survivors from Nepal's worst air disaster in decades are fading, police say.

"It's unlikely there will be any survivors," spokesperson Tek Prasad Rai told the BBC. Teams were finding body parts at the scene, he added.

At least 68 people died when a flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara crashed and caught fire on Sunday morning.

It is still unclear what caused the crash.

Mobile phone footage showed the Yeti Airlines flight rolling sharply as it approached the airport. There were 72 passengers and crew on board the domestic flight.

A search and rescue operation that involved hundreds of Nepalese soldiers was suspended due to darkness on Sunday. It resumed on Monday morning, with 300 police personnel deployed.

Earlier, local TV reports showed rescuers scrambling around charred sections of the aircraft which hit the ground in the gorge of the Seti River, just over a kilometre from the airport.

The prime minister of Nepal declared Monday a national day of mourning, and the government set up a panel to investigate the cause of the disaster.

Local resident Divya Dhakal told the BBC how she rushed to the crash site after seeing the aircraft plunge from the sky shortly after 11:00am local time (05:15 GMT).

"By the time I was there the crash site was already crowded. There was huge smoke coming from the flames of the plane. And then helicopters came over in no time," she said.

"The pilot tried his best to not hit civilisation or any home," she added. "There was a small space right beside the Seti River and the flight hit the ground in that small space."

Aviation accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, often due to its remote runways and sudden weather changes that can make for hazardous conditions.

This Himalayan nation, home to some of the most breath-taking mountains in the world, has some of the most difficult terrain to navigate.

A lack of investment in new aircraft and poor regulation have also been blamed in the past.

The European Union has banned Nepalese airlines from its airspace over concerns about training and maintenance standards.

In May 2022 a Tara Air plane crashed in northern Nepal, killing 22 people. Four years earlier 51 people were killed when a flight travelling from Bangladesh caught fire as it landed in Kathmandu.

Chiranjibi Paudel, whose journalist brother Tribhuvan was on the flight, said action had to be taken to improve aviation safety in Nepal.

"The airlines should be penalised and the regulatory body of the government also should be held accountable," he said.

The plane came down close to the newly built Pokhara International Airport, which only opened at the start of the year.

Travellers at the airport told the BBC they fly regularly and still feel safe after today's news - short plane journeys are a popular way for Nepal's middle classes to travel across the country.

"I'm not scared of flying," said Ria who was waiting for her bags to arrive, "but there needs to be better regulations and newer aircraft."

The Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara left the Nepalese capital just after 10:30 (04:45 GMT) for what should have been a short trip.

It had 68 passengers on board, including at least 15 foreign nationals, and four crew members.

Of the passengers, 53 were said to be Nepalese. There were five Indian, four Russians and two Koreans on the plane. There was also one passenger each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France among others.

Khum Bahadur Chhetri, a local resident, told Reuters that he was observing the flight from the roof of his home as it approached the airport.

"I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then suddenly it nosedived and it went into the gorge," added.

 

BBC

 

Comments: 1579
#1579   Teresa
      
My web-site :: site Poker
Today, 16:41
#1578   Matilda
      
2 November 2026 14:49
#1577   Kiera
      
My webpage; Play Poker

Also visit my site ... Highstakesdb
1 November 2026 12:46
#1576   Grover
      
my website poker
sites
31 October 2026 23:22
#1575   Kayleigh
      
31 October 2026 22:23
#1574   Frederick
      
References:


Pay id pokies real money http://dle1.31-6kc3bfr2e.рф/user/secureformat8/
30 October 2026 08:56
#1573   Yasmin
      
my web-site; Online Poker
30 October 2026 07:04
#1572   Dominik
      
Have a look at my webpage; play Poker online
30 October 2026 06:49
#1571   Victorina
      
References:


BPay maximum deposit casino https://sonnik.nalench.com
30 October 2026 06:15
#1570   Jerold
      
References:


Newest payid pokies australia instant withdrawal pay id pokies
30 October 2026 03:21
#1569   Tahlia
      
Feel free to surf to my site; Online
Poker sites
28 October 2026 23:23
#1568   Noel
      
Visit my page - online poker
28 October 2026 19:02
#1567   Mitzi
      
My website; Play Poker Online

Also visit my homepage ... Play Poker Online For Money
27 October 2026 21:43
#1566   Eve
      
My web blog: Poker Game
26 October 2026 16:41
#1565   Tam
      
Appreciation to my father who told me about this web site, this blog is
in fact amazing.

Here is my blog post - Coffee
Bar Hire
26 October 2026 07:09
#1564   Jonna
      
Here is my homepage - Play Poker
24 October 2026 20:29
#1563   Marisa
      
24 October 2026 06:15
#1562   Wendi
      
References:


PayID Osko gambling sites http://www.sg588.tw
24 October 2026 02:06
#1561   Deanna
      
23 October 2026 22:00
Add Comments

Name:*
E-Mail:
  Geo Keyboard  
 

Dear reader, guardian.ge welcomes your comments. Please express your views on topic and be respectful of others.

bold italic underline strike | align left centered align right | Ensert smilies insert linkInsert protected URL Choice the color | hidden text insert quote Convert selected text from transliteration to Cyrillic alphabet Insert spoiler

Code: *


Back1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 79Next