Key takeaways:
- 68 people were killed and 8 passengers and 4 crew members are unaccounted for in the plane crash near Pokhara, Nepal.
- Rescuers are using ropes to pull out bodies from the wreckage, and some bodies are burned beyond recognition.
- The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and authorities are asking for the public’s assistance in providing any information that may help the investigation.
Nepal is in mourning after a devastating plane crash near the city of Pokhara on Sunday. A regional passenger plane operated by Yeti Airlines crashed into a gorge while landing at the newly opened Pokhara International Airport, killing 68 people and leaving four crew members and eight passengers unaccounted for.
Authorities have confirmed that 72 people were on board the ATR-72 plane when it crashed, and rescuers are scouring the crash site near the Seti River, about 1.6 kilometers (nearly a mile) away from the airport. Rescuers are using ropes to pull out bodies from the wreckage, parts of which are hanging over the edge of the gorge.
First responders are still working to locate the last eight passengers, but they are “losing hope” of finding them alive, according to Fanindra Mani Pokharel, the joint secretary of Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs. Some bodies, burned beyond recognition, have been carried by firefighters to hospitals, where grief-stricken relatives have assembled.
The crash is the deadliest plane crash in Nepal in more than 30 years, and local officials had previously expressed hope that some survivors would be found. However, the search for survivors continues as the nation mourns the loss of the 68 victims.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and authorities are working to determine the identities of the victims and the circumstances of the crash. The Nepal Civil Aviation Authority has asked for the public’s assistance in providing any information that may help the investigation.
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