Edited By: Abhro Banerjee
Last Updated: January 15, 2023, 14:07 IST
Nepal Plane Crash: Rescuers and onlookers gather at the site of a plane crash in Pokhara on January 15, 2023. An aircraft with 72 people on board crashed in Nepal on January 15, Yeti Airlines and a local official said. (AFP photo)
Indian embassy in Nepal issued helpline contacts, saying that the high commission is in touch with local authorities and is monitoring the situation
A Nepalese passenger plane with 72 people onboard, including five Indians, crashed into a river gorge on Sunday while landing at country’s Pokhara airport. All passengers are feared dead in the crash, officials said, adding that chances of finding survivors in the rescue operation are slim.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Yeti Airlines’ 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am. Pokhara is a major tourist destination in the Himalayan nation.
While landing at the Pokhara airport, the aircraft crashed on the bank of the Yeti River between the old airport and the new airport. There were a total of 68 passengers and four crew members.
Indian embassy in Nepal issued helpline contacts, saying that the high commission is in touch with local authorities and is monitoring the situation.
Helplines numbers issued by Indian embassy:
1) Kathmandu: Shri Diwakar Sharma:+977-9851107021
2) Pokhara: Lt Col Shashank Tripathi: +977-9856037699
Helplines of Embassy:I) Kathmandu: Shri Diwakar Sharma:+977-9851107021 II) Pokhara: Lt Col Shashank Tripathi: +977-9856037699Helpline contacts of Embassy:
Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is monitoring the situation.
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— IndiaInNepal (@IndiaInNepal) January 15, 2023
Five Indians were among the total 15 foreign nationals onboard the plane, the paper reported. Other foreign nationals included – four Russians, two Koreans, and an Australian, an Irish, an Argentinian and a French.
The plane was piloted by captain Kamal K C and Assistant Captain Anju Khatiwada.
According to Tek Bahadur KC, Chief District Officer of the Kaski district, the plane crashed into the Seti river gorge. Rescue operations are currently being conducted, he was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times newspaper.
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 onboard, including four members of an Indian family, were killed as a Tara Air plane crashed in Nepal’s mountainous Mustang district.
(With PTI inputs)
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