A 72-seater passenger aircraft crashed on the runway at Pokhara International Airport in Nepal. Rescue operations are underway, and the airport is closed for the time being. According to reports, around 10 out of the 68 passengers on flight were foreign nationals. Five of them were Indians.
The deceased Indians have been identified as Abhishek Kushwaha, Bishal Sharma, Anil Kumar Rajbhar, Sonu Jaiswal, and Sanjaya Jaiswal, according to reports.
At least 6 children dead in crash
A total of 42 dead bodies were recovered from the crash site until now. Six children are said to have died in the crash. However, the identification and exact count of injured and deceased passengers is yet not known.
Pictures and videos posted on social media platforms showed smoke billowing from the crash site.
"So far, dead bodies of 68 people have been recovered from the crash site," an official at the Search and Rescue Coordination Committee of the CAAN told PTI over the phone.
However, the dead bodies are yet to be identified, he added. Efforts are on to recover four more bodies, he said.
Pokhara a major tourist destination, plane crashed on bank of Seti River
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. Pokhara is a major tourist destination in the Himalayan nation.
While landing 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, Republica newspaper reported.
The passengers included 10 foreigners, according to the state-run Nepal Television.
PM Prachanda expressed sadness over crash
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers following the crash.
He expressed sadness over the crash and directed the Home Ministry, security personnel and all the government agencies to carry out immediate rescue and relief operations.
