The Nepal government has instructed concerned authorities to conduct a technical inspection of all domestic flights after a Nepalese passenger plane with 72 people on board, including five Indians, crashed into a river gorge while landing at the newly-opened Pokhara airport on Sunday.
At least 68 people reportedly died in the crash. According to reports, 15 foreign nationals and six children were travelling on the flight. According to a statement from the Airlines, there were five Indians, four Russians, two Koreans, one each from Argentina, Ireland, Australia and France onboard.
A statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said that two helicopters were deployed immediately to the crash site as part of the rescue efforts and ground rescue teams were rushed to the spot. According to reports, Nepal Army has halted search operations for the day and four more passengers are yet to be found.
The Cabinet meeting held in Baluwatar to assess the situation after Yeti Airlines' 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft crash also formed a five-member investigation commission under the leadership of former aviation secretary Nagendra Ghimire to probe the accident.
The aircraft that took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10.33am crash-landed at the airport in Pokhara -- a major tourist destination in the Himalayan nation.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the aircraft crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport. There were a total of 68 passengers and four crew members.
“Five Indians were among the total 15 foreign nationals onboard the plane,” the Indian Embassy tweeted. The five Indians onboard the crashed plane have been identified as Abhisekh Kushwaha, Bishal Sharma, Anil Kumar Rajbhar, Sonu Jaiswal, and Sanjaya Jaiswal, a Yeti Airlines official said.
"An ATR-72 plane of Yeti Airlines crashed today near the Pokhara Airport while flying from Kathmandu. According to the info provided by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, 5 Indians were travelling on this flight. Rescue operations are underway," the Indian mission tweeted.
“The embassy is in touch with local authorities and is monitoring the situation,” it added.
The Council of Ministers emergency meeting also announced a public holiday on January 16 to mourn the victims of the Yeti Airlines plane crash. Following the Yeti Airlines aircraft crash, the Pokhara International Airport has been closed today for all incoming and outgoing flights.
Images and videos posted on social media platforms showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site.
Nepal has had a fraught record of aviation accidents, partly due to its sudden weather changes and airstrips located in hard-to-access rocky terrains.
The last major air accident in Nepal happened on May 29 when all 22 people on board, including four members of an Indian family, were killed as a Tara Air plane crashed in Nepal's mountainous Mustang district.
(With PTI inputs.)
