16 die as plane crashes in Nepal; 8 bodies recovered
While landing at the Pokhara airport, the aircraft crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport
Kathmandu: A Nepalese passenger plane with 72 people, including 10 foreigners, onboard crashed on Sunday while landing at the Pokhara airport and eight bodies have been recovered, according to media reports.
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.
Eight dead bodies have been found from the accident site, My Republica newspaper reported.
According to Tek Bahadur KC, Chief District Officer of the Kaski district, the plane crashed into the Seti river gorge. Rescue operations are currently being conducted, he was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times newspaper.
Details of the accident are yet to come.
Images and videos posted on social media platforms showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site.