5 Indians Among 71 Found Dead In Nepal Plane Crash: 10 Things To Know

A domestic flight travelling from the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, crashed near Pokhara International Airport on Sunday morning, killing at least 68 people, according to officials.

The aircraft, operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines, was holding 68 passengers and four crew members, officials said. Fifteen of these people were international travellers from countries like India, Russia, South Korea and France, among others. Rescue operations are underway for four people still missing after the Himalayan nation's deadliest plane crash in 30 years, officials said.

Nepal Plane Crash: 10 Things To Know

• The twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a tourist town located 200 kilometres west, when it crashed while attempting to land at a newly opened airport.
• Rescuers had recovered 71 bodies out of the 72 people onboard the aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines that crashed in the tourist city of Pokhara minutes before landing on Sunday in clear weather.
• The plane, on a scheduled flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara, was carrying 57 Nepalis, five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, and one person each from Argentina, Ireland, Australia and France.  Of the five Indians, four were from the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh and went to Nepal on January 13 on a holiday, reports Hindustan Times.
• Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority said the aircraft last made contact with the airport from near Seti Gorge at 10:50 a.m. before crashing. The plane was completing the 27-minute flight from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara, 200 kilometres (125 miles) west. The weather had been clear and it was not immediately clear what caused the crash, said officials.
• On Sunday, Twitter was filled with images that showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site, about 1.6 kilometres away from Pokhara International Airport. The aircraft’s fuselage was split into multiple parts that were scattered down the gorge.
• One of the Indians who died in the crash was possibly on Facebook Live seconds before the crash. A 1-minute 37-second video went viral late on Sunday in which the man can be seen holding the phone pointing the camera out from a window seat, showing an approach. At one point, the shot becomes unstable and the vision blacks out before the final moments showing what appeared to flame with some vegetation close by.
• Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal rushed to the airport after the crash and set up a panel to investigate the accident. "The incident was tragic. The full force of the Nepali army, and police have been deployed for rescue,” he said.
• Yeti Airlines said they would be cancelling all flights on Monday to mourn the victims of the crash.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief and prayed for the bereaved families of the Nepal plane crash. "Pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families," PM Modi tweeted.
• Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest, has a history of air crashes. The European Union has banned airlines from Nepal from flying into the 27-nation bloc since 2013, citing weak safety standards. In 2017, the International Civil Aviation Organization cited improvements in the country’s aviation sector, but the EU continues to demand administrative reforms.

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