Nepal Plane Crash: 5 Indians Among 15 Foreigners Killed In Nation's Worst Flight Tragedy. What We know So Far

Nepal Aircraft Crash: The plane that crashed between the city's old and new airports in western Nepal contained 68 passengers and four crew members.

Rescuers inspect the site of a plane crash in Pokhara on January 15, 2023.

Source : AFP

New Delhi: At least 68 people are confirmed dead after a plane carrying 72 people crashed in Nepal on Sunday, police said, reported news agency AFP, which cited the police. The plane that crashed between the city's old and new airports in western Nepal contained 68 passengers and four crew members. From Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, Yeti Airlines was flying a twin-engine ATR 72.

#WATCH | Visual from Nepal's Pokhara International Airport where a passenger aircraft crashed earlier today. pic.twitter.com/C8XHL9f7Lu

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2023

Here are the latest updates on the Nepal plane crash:

- On board were fifteen foreigners, including six children. The airlines said in a statement that the plane contained 53 Nepalis, 5 Indians, 4 Russians, 2 Koreans, 1 Argentinian, and one each from Ireland, Australia, and France.

- AK Chhetri, a police official, told AFP that "31 (bodies) have been taken to hospitals." He also said that 36 more bodies were found in the gorge where the aircraft crashed.

- According to Nepali journalist Dilip Thapa, a raging fire at the wreckage has made it difficult for rescue efforts. Shortly after the accident, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as "Prachanda," called an emergency cabinet meeting. Additionally, the Nepal government has established a five-member commission of inquiry to investigate the incident.

- At 10:33 a.m., the aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

- The plane crashed into a river gorge on the Seti River just as it was about to land at the Pokhara airport. The crash occurred approximately 20 minutes after takeoff, indicating that the aircraft may have been descending. It takes 25 minutes to fly between the two cities.

- According to the news agency AFP, airline spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula stated, "We don't know right now if there are survivors."

- A local official was quoted as saying that the plane caught fire as it crashed and that rescue workers were attempting to put it out.

- Jyotiraditya Scindia, minister of civil aviation for the Union, expressed condolences for the fatal plane crash. "The loss of lives in a tragic plane crash in Nepal is extremely unfortunate. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the bereaved. Om Shanti," he tweeted.

- The most recent major aviation incident in Nepal occurred on May 29 of last year, when a Tara Air plane crashed in Nepal's Mustang district, killing all 22 passengers.