The black box containing both the plane’s flight recorder and voice recorder has now been found. It may provide answers to why the plane crashed as it descended for landing and caught fire when it hit the ground.
The crew last had contact with the airport at 10.50 local time.
The plane disaster is the worst in the country in more than 30 years. 68 of the 72 on board the plane lost their lives. The search for four people who are still missing was resumed on Monday. On Sunday evening, they had to call off the search because of the darkness of the night.
After the wreckage caught fire, rescue crews must have tried to extinguish the fire for a long time. There must have been hundreds of rescue personnel working in the hilly terrain where the plane crashed.
Sent to hospital
Local authorities believed that it was very unlikely that they would find survivors. A spokesperson from the Kaski district nevertheless tells AFP that they have sent some survivors to hospital.
This has not been confirmed by other sources.
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.
The airline has canceled all scheduled flights following Sunday’s accident.
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.
