Topline
At least 68 people were killed after a passenger plane crashed in the resort town of Pokhara, Nepal on Sunday, in the country’s worst air disaster in several decades which once again puts a spotlight on the issue of poor aviation safety standards among its domestic carriers.
Rescuers gather at the site of a plane crash in Pokhara.
Key Facts
According to Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, rescuers are still digging through the crash site which is located nearly a mile away from the newly opened Pokhara International Airport.
At least 68 of the 72 people—including passengers and crew—on board the ATR 72 aircraft operated by Nepalese carrier Yeti Airlines have been confirmed dead so far, the agency added.
A passenger list released by the authorities showed that the aircraft flying from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara had 53 Nepali passengers and 15 foreign nationals on board—including five Indians, four Russians, two South Korean, one Irish, one French, one Australian and an Argentinian national.
Authorities are yet to establish an exact cause for the deadly accident, but an airline spokesperson told Bloomberg that the crash took place just “10 to 20 seconds” before landing and the plane made no distress call.
According to FlightRadar24, the aircraft was 15 years old and was “equipped with an old transponder with unreliable data.”
Crucial Quote
Reacting to the incident, Nepalese Prime Minister Pusha Kumar Dahal tweeted: “I am deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident of Yeti Airlines ANC ATR 72 which was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara with passengers. I sincerely appeal to the security personnel, all agencies of the Nepal government and the general public to start an effective rescue.”
Surprising Fact
Sunday’s airplane crash was the tenth such incident in the past ten years, which makes Nepal one of the air disaster-prone countries in the world, according to Bloomberg.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/01/15/68-people-confirmed-dead-in-nepals-deadliest-airplane-crash-in-three-decades/