Five Indians were among the 10 foreign nationals on board the crashed Yeti Airlines plane on Sunday, the Indian Embassy in Nepal tweeted. They have been identified as Abhisekh Kushwaha, Bishal Sharma, Anil Kumar Rajbhar, Sonu Jaiswal and Sanjaya Jaiswal, a Yeti Airlines official said. Their fate is not immediately known.
"An ATR-72 plane of Yeti Airlines crashed today near the Pokhara Airport while flying from Kathmandu. According to the info provided by Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, 5 Indians were travelling on this flight. Rescue operations are underway," the Indian mission tweeted. The embassy is in touch with local authorities and is monitoring the situation, it said. Some of the passengers have been hospitalised, the airlines said.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Yeti Airlines' 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10.33 am and crashed at the Pokhara airport at around 11 am. Pokhara is a major tourist destination in the Himalayan nation.
An ATR-72 plane of Yeti Airlines crashed today near the Pokhara Airport while flying from Kathmandu. According to the info provided by Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, 5 Indians were travelling on this flight. Rescue operations are underway. pic.twitter.com/rkLC3QbStn
— IndiaInNepal (@IndiaInNepal) January 15, 2023
While attempting to land at the Pokhara airport, the aircraft crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport. There were a total of 68 passengers and four crew members, MyRepublica newspaper reported. At least 32 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage site, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported.
The Nepal government on Sunday formed a five-member commission of inquiry to probe the plane crash. The announcement came as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers following the crash. The emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers also announced a public holiday on January 16 to mourn the victims of the Yeti Airlines plane crash.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel said that the government has decided to observe one day of mourning. Similarly, a five-member commission of inquiry has been formed to investigate the plane crash of Yeti Airlines in Pokhara.
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