New Delhi:
A plane carrying some 72 people from Kathmandu crashed this morning in Pokhara, Nepal, Yeti Airlines said. Nepalese media reported that at least 16 dead bodies were recovered from the wreckage. There were 68 passengers and four crew members on board the plane that crashed between the old and new airports in the city, located in western Nepal. Yeti Airlines’ twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft was en route from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, an official told Reuters news agency.
Rescue operations have been hampered by a raging fire at the wreckage, Nepali journalist Dilip Thapa told DailyExpertNews. Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has convened an emergency cabinet.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the plane took off from Kathmandu at 10:33 am.
The plane was about to land at Pokhara airport when it crashed into the bank of the Seti River. The crash happened about 20 minutes after takeoff, suggesting the plane may have been descending. The flight time between the two cities is 25 minutes.
“We do not know at this time if there are any survivors,” the airline’s spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula told AFP news agency.
The plane caught fire when it crashed and rescuers tried to put it out, a local official said.
Rescue efforts are still underway.