A Nepalese Plane Crashed And All 72 People On Board Are Dead Or Missing
A spokesman said the pilot of the flight had not reported “anything untoward” as it began its descent.
A Yeti Airlines plane carrying 72 people, including four crew members, crashed when trying to land in the city of Pokhara in Nepal, on Sunday Jan. 15, killing at least 68 passengers, according to Nepalese officials.
Yeti Airlines Flight 691 had been on an approximately 30 minute flight from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara but lost contact with the Pokhara airport about 20 minutes later, the New York Times reported.
Videos on social media showed the ATR-72 plane, which was 12 years old, rolling sharply as it descended before hitting the ground and falling into a gorge by a river.
Flames and black smoke can then be seen rising from the crash site, which was just over a kilometer from the airport.
Officials said at least 68 people had died in the crash, and 41 victims have been identified so far, according to CNN.
Rescuers initially struggled to reach the plane, which split into three large pieces, which had fallen down into the gorge.
Search efforts are continuing for the missing four people, but authorities said the chances of finding survivors were extremely low.
The cause of the crash remains unclear.
A spokesman told the BBC that the pilot of the flight had not reported “anything untoward” as it began its descent.
He added that there was no issues with the weather and the visibility had been good.
The crash is the deadliest plane crash in Nepal in 30 years.
