A plane with 72 people has crashed west of Pokhara in Nepal.
Police in Nepal report that 67 people have been confirmed dead, according to AFP.
The wreckage has caught fire, and rescue crews are trying to extinguish the fire. There are supposed to be hundreds of rescue personnel working in the hilly terrain where the plane crashed.
A local official said in the early hours of Sunday that it was very unlikely that they would find survivors. Now, however, the authorities in Nepal report that some may have survived the plane crash.
– We have found 29 bodies so far. We have also sent some survivors to hospital for treatment, says Gurudatta Dhakal, spokesperson from Kaski district to AFP.
Local residents on site.
Photo: AP
Nepal’s second largest city
The plane, which belongs to the Nepalese airline Yeti Airlines, crashed between the old and new airports in Pokhara in central Nepal. It was on its way from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara.
Pokhara is Nepal’s second largest city. The city is a popular starting point for tourists who are going to hike in the Himalayan mountains.
The plane crashed between the old and new airports in Pokhara, central Nepal.
The aircraft is of the type ATR 72. It is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft and is manufactured by the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR. The plane must be 15 years old, according to Flightradar24.
A policeman tells the online newspaper Lokantar that only one wing of the plane is intact.
Fifteen of the passengers were foreigners
Among the 72 on board there were 68 passengers and a crew of four. Fifteen of the passengers were foreigners, the airline company Yeti Airlines told AFP.
They report that there were people from India, Russia, Korea, Ireland, Argentina, France and Nepal on board the plane when it crashed.
Ban on Nepalese airlines
According to Reuters, at least 309 people have died since 2000 in plane and helicopter crashes in Nepal.
Nepal’s aviation industry has long struggled with poor safety. The EU has banned flights from Nepali airlines in its airspace.
Lack of training and maintenance of the planes are among the reasons for the poor safety. The many plane accidents in the country are also due to the changing weather conditions in Nepal.
