A plane with 72 people on board crashed in the Nepalese city of Pokhara on Sunday. Dozens of people did not survive the crash. Local police say there are some survivors, they have been taken to hospital.
There were 68 passengers and 4 employees on the plane of the local airline Yeti Airlines. Among them were two young children. There were also people with a foreign identity on board. It concerns five people from India, four Russians, two people from South Korea and passengers from Ireland, Australia, France and Argentina.
According to the aviation authority, at least 40 people have died. Local police say 29 bodies have been recovered and the injured have been taken to hospital.
The aircraft was en route from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara. At around 10:50 a.m. (local time) it made contact with air traffic control, but then the plane crashed into the hills. The plane has broken into several pieces and is partly in the hills, partly in the Seti River.
An eyewitness tells the news agency Reuters that he saw the plane shake and move left and right. “And then the nose suddenly dipped and it went into the canyon.”
The Nepalese government has launched a crisis consultation.
Deadliest crash since 2018
According to Reuters it is the deadliest crash since 2018. In that year, a plane crashed near Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 people on board.
There are more plane accidents in Nepal, partly because the weather in the mountainous country can change quickly. Due to security concerns, Nepalese airlines are no longer allowed to fly in the airspace of the European Union.
Adjustment: Reuters news agency first reported that it was the deadliest crash since 1992. That appears to be incorrect and has been adjusted.
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