IA plane with 72 people on board crashed on a mountainside in Nepal. At least 44 people were killed, a spokesman for the Nepal Aviation Authority said on Sunday, according to news agencies.
The Nepalese Yeti Airlines plane was en route from the capital Kathmandu to the tourist resort of Pokhara. According to the Nepalese press, there were 68 passengers and four crew members on board. Some of the inmates were foreigners. There was talk of five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans and one passenger each from Australia, Ireland, France and Argentina.
It was the worst plane crash in at least five years. In March 2018, a plane en route from Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to Kathmandu crashed on landing. Of the 71 occupants, 51 died.
Because of the high mountain ranges, narrow valleys and sudden changes in weather, the Himalayan state is one of the countries where aviation accidents are particularly common. In 20 years, more than 300 people have died in plane and helicopter crashes in Nepal.
None of the Nepalese airlines are licensed to fly in the EU. In May 2022, a Tara Air plane carrying 22 people crashed at an altitude of about 4,400 meters. At that time there were also two Germans from Hesse on board. Authorities spokesman Jagannath Niroula said 30 bodies were recovered near Pokhara on Sunday. 14 more were still at the crash site.
The city of Pokhara is located about 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu at an altitude of more than 800 meters. To the north is the mighty Annapurna massif. The country’s second largest city is also the starting point for trekking tours in the Himalayas, including the Annapurna Circuit with views of several eight-thousanders.
The twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft took off from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at 10:33 in the morning. According to the Nepalese press, the flight to Pokhara normally takes only 25 minutes. At 10:50 a.m. the pilot sent a message to the airport. Then the plane crashed. The cause was initially unknown. The sky was clear at the time, agency spokesman Niroula told Reuters.
Hundreds of rescue workers searched for survivors on Sunday. Video footage from the scene of the accident showed people backing away from dense clouds of smoke. The rescue in a gorge between two mountains is difficult, said a police representative. Half of the plane is on the mountainside, the rest has fallen further down the gorge. Pokhara Airport was initially closed after the crash. According to a passenger plane tracking website, the plane was 15 years old. The ART 72 aircraft type is produced by a joint venture between the Airbus company and the Italian manufacturer Leonardo.
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