Kathmandu, Nepal
CNN
—
At least 68 individuals have been killed Sunday when an aircraft went down near the city of Pokhara in central Nepal, a authorities official mentioned, the nation’s deadliest plane crash in more than 30 years.
Seventy-two individuals – 4 crew members and 68 passengers – have been on board the ATR 72 plane operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines when it crashed, Yeti Airlines spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula mentioned. Thirty-seven have been males, 25 have been ladies, three have been youngsters and three have been infants, Nepal’s civil aviation authority reported.
Search efforts have been known as off after darkish, Army spokesman Krishna Prasad Bhandari mentioned, and can resume Monday morning. Hundreds of first responders had been nonetheless working to find the remaining 4 people earlier than then, Bhandari mentioned.
Among the useless is at least one toddler, based on the Nepal’s civil aviation authority.
Sunday’s incident was the third-deadliest crash within the Himalayan nation’s historical past, based on information from the Aviation Safety Network. The solely incidents by which extra individuals have been killed came about in July and September 1992. Those crashes concerned aircraft run by Thai Airways and Pakistan International airways and left 113 and 167 individuals useless, respectively.
The civil aviation authority mentioned that 53 of the passengers and all 4 crew members have been Nepali. Fifteen international nationals have been on the plane as nicely: 5 have been Indian, 4 have been Russian and two have been Korean. The relaxation have been particular person residents of Australia, Argentina, France and Ireland.
The aircraft had been flying from the capital of Kathmandu to Pokhara, the nation’s second-most populous city and a gateway to the Himalayas, the nation’s state media The Rising Nepal reported. Pokahara is situated some 129 kilometers (80 miles) west of Kathmandu.
The plane was final involved with Pokhara airport at about 10:50 a.m. native time, about 18 minutes after takeoff. It then went down within the close by Seti River Gorge. First responders from the Nepal Army and varied police departments have been deployed to the crash web site and are finishing up a rescue operation, the civil aviation authorities mentioned in a press release.
A video clip on social media on Sunday appeared to point out the moments earlier than the aircraft crashed. The movie, which seems to be taken from rooftop of a home in Pokhara, reveals the plane flying low over a populated space and rolling on its aspect earlier than the aircraft is now not seen within the clip. A loud explosion may be heard on the finish of the video.
CNN can not independently confirm the authenticity of the clip.
A five-member committee has additionally been fashioned to analyze the trigger of the crash. The quintet should submit a report back to the federal government inside 45 days, based on Nepal’s deputy prime minister and authorities spokesperson Bishnu Paudel.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal mentioned he was “deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident.”
“I sincerely appeal to the security personnel, all agencies of the Nepal government and the general public to start an effective rescue,” Dahal mentioned on Twitter.
The authorities declared Monday a public vacation to mourn the victims, a spokesman for the prime minister mentioned.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President each conveyed their condolences, as did Australia’s ambassador to Nepal.
Nepal’s Yeti Airlines mentioned it was canceling all common flights on Monday, January 16, in mourning for the victims of the crash.
The Himalayan nation of Nepal, residence to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, together with Everest, has a record of air accidents. Its climate can change immediately and airstrips are sometimes sited in difficult-to-reach mountainous areas.
Last May, a Tara Air flight carrying 22 people crashed right into a Himalayan mountain at an altitude of about 14,500 ft. That was the nation’s nineteenth plane crash in 10 years and its tenth deadly one throughout the identical interval, based on the Aviation Safety Network database.
The aircraft concerned in Sunday’s crash was an ATR 72-500, a twin-prop turbojet usually used within the Asia-Pacific area, particularly amongst low-cost carriers. Planes made by ATR, a joint partnership between European aeronautics firms Airbus and Leonardo, typically have a good reputation.
However, they’ve been concerned in crashes earlier than. Two ATR 72s operated by the now-defunct Taiwanese airline Transasia have been concerned in lethal crashes in July 2014 and February 2015. The second prompted Taiwanese authorities to briefly floor all ATR 72’s registered on the island.
In complete, the ATR 72’s varied fashions had been concerned in 11 deadly incidents earlier than Sunday’s crash in Nepal, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
ATR mentioned in a press release Sunday that it had been knowledgeable of the accident.
“Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this,” the assertion learn. “ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer.”
