Published on 07:24 PM, January 15, 2023

Nepal plane crash: 68 bodies recovered so far

A rescuer (L) and onlookers stand at the site of a plane crash in Pokhara on January 15, 2023. At least 67 people were confirmed dead on January 15 when a plane with 72 on board crashed in Nepal, police said, in the Himalayan country's deadliest aviation disaster in three decades. Photo: AFP
The Kathmandu Post, Nepal

Rescuers have so far recovered 68 bodies from a Yeti Airlines crash site in Pokhara of Kaski district in western Nepal.

In Nepal's in the worst air crash in three decades, at least 68 people were killed today when the domestic flight crashed in Pokhara while landing.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre of the Tribhuvan International Airport informed that so far 68 bodies have been recovered from the crash site and search for the remaining four is underway.

According to Kaski Police Chief Superintendent Ajay KC, the bodies of 64 victims have been taken to the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences in the city.

"Procedure to identify the victims is underway," said Prof Dr Bharat Bahadur Khatri, Director at the Pokhra academy.

An ATR 72 aircraft of Yeti Airlines with registration number 9N-ANC that took off for Pokhara from Kathmandu at 10:30am crashed at Nayagau around 11:00am.

A total of 68 passengers and four crew members were on board the aircraft that crashed between the old airport and the Pokhara International Airport, Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesperson of Yeti Airlines, told the Post.

Among the passengers are three infants, three children and 62 adults. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the passengers included 53 Nepalis, five Indians, four Russians, one Irish, one Australian, one Argentinian, two Koreans and one French.

Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the Cabinet held today, following the accident, has announced a public holiday to mark a national day of mourning for the loss of lives in the crash.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers.

The Cabinet meeting has formed a five-member probe committee under Nagendra Ghimire, former secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, to investigate the accident.

Likewise, the government has also directed that every domestic airline's aircraft undergo rigorous inspections before taking a flight.

Copyright: The Kathmandu Post/Asia News Network

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