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: 1238
#898   Kathy
      
The 12 Best Driving License Validity Accounts To Follow On Twitter comprar
carta de condução
14 December 2025 08:28
#897   Lottie
      
A Brief History Of Authentic B1 Goethe Exam History Of Authentic B1 Goethe Exam Goethe-Zertifikat B1
Online Kaufen (thesocialroi.com)
14 December 2025 07:30
#896   Lawrence
      
Five Killer Quora Answers On Best Coffee Machines
Bean To Cup coffee machines bean to cup
14 December 2025 05:11
#895   Brendan
      
Five Killer Quora Answers To Couch With Pullout Bed couch with Pullout bed
14 December 2025 03:56
#894   Delila
      
Why Nobody Cares About Cots And Cot Beds Portable Baby Bed
14 December 2025 03:01
#893   Kassandra
      
What Can A Weekly Automatic Folding Mobility Scooter UK Project
Can Change Your Life Automatic Folding Mobility Scooters
13 December 2025 20:20
#892   Harriet
      
Guide To 3 Wheel Buggy: The Intermediate Guide For 3 Wheel Buggy 3 Wheel Buggy
13 December 2025 19:44
#891   Prince
      
Why Bedside Bassinet Is A Must At The Very Least Once In Your Lifetime White
Cot Bed With Drawer
13 December 2025 17:42
#890   Jasper
      
An Easy-To-Follow Guide To Railroad Attorney Near Me railroad cancer lawsuit eligibility (https://kanban.xsitepool.tu-freiberg.de/)
13 December 2025 10:43
#889   Emmett
      
10 Wrong Answers To Common Injury Compensation Questions Do You Know Which Ones?
Work Injury Compensation Lawyer
13 December 2025 10:02
#888   Mindy
      
The 10 Most Terrifying Things About Best Robot Vacuum And Mop Best
robot vacuum and Mop
13 December 2025 06:22
#887   Jerrod
      
The 10 Most Terrifying Things About Railroad Settlement Lung Cancer Railroad Settlement Lung Cancer
13 December 2025 05:10
#886   Abigail
      
What The Heck Is Refrigerator With 0-Degree Zone Test?
Gefriertruhe
Testsieger
13 December 2025 03:00
#885   Lloyd
      
5 Killer Quora Answers On BMW Lost And Spare Keys Bmw lost
and spare keys
13 December 2025 02:06
#884   Milton
      
9 Lessons Your Parents Taught You About Louisiana Asbestos-Related Illness Attorney Louisiana Asbestos-Related Illness Attorney
13 December 2025 00:28
#883   Sonia
      
9 Lessons Your Parents Teach You About Railroad Settlement Mesothelioma Railroad
Settlement Mesothelioma (https://repo.beithing.com)
12 December 2025 21:37
#882   Madelaine
      
You'll Never Guess This Aluminium Window Installers's Benefits Aluminium Window Installers
12 December 2025 18:23
#881   Emmett
      
20 Trailblazers Lead The Way In How To Get A Mental Health Assessment Mental Health Assessment Private
12 December 2025 17:53
#880   Emilio
      
Why Adding A Goethe Certificate B1 Purchase To Your Life Will Make All
The An Impact Deutsch B1 Prüfung Online Kaufen
12 December 2025 07:00
#879   Teresa
      
Currently it seems like Expression Engine is the best blogging platform
available right now. (from what I've read) Is that what you're
using on your blog?

My homepage: drift boss
10 December 2025 09:11
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 ... 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 ... 62Next