The Yeti Airlines plane had taken off from the capital Kathmandu. It was carrying 72 people
By Athena Papakosta
The air tragedy in Nepal is the country’s deadliest air crash in three decades.
It was a flight that would last no more than 27 minutes. Her destination was the small tourist town of Pokhara. The Yeti Airlines plane had taken off from the capital Kathmandu. It was carrying 72 people. 68 are now dead while the remaining four are missing. The causes of the crash remain – for now – unknown.
The ATR 72 aircraft disintegrated and broke into pieces. It crashed about 1.6 kilometers from Pokhara International Airport into the Seti River and much of its debris fell into a gorge. Videos from Social Media during the first tragic minutes following the crash showed thick smoke billowing from the scene of the flames engulfing the aircraft.
Firefighters and rescue crews arrived in time but it was already too late. Burnt bodies were being transported to nearby hospitals in the area where a large number of relatives of the passengers had gathered and were waiting. At the same time, and at Kathmandu airport, relatives were asking for information about what has happened and what is the fate of their own people.
The ATR 72 aircraft was carrying 68 people and four crew members. The 53 passengers were from Nepal and the remaining 15 were foreigners. In particular, the five were from India, another four from Russia and two from Korea while, according to the information, there was also at least one passenger from Australia, Ireland, Argentina and France.
Searches for the four missing men were halted after dark and are expected to resume at first light. Today, mourning has been declared in the country while a government order has been given for the establishment of a committee that will “run” the investigation to establish the causes of the tragedy.
As reported by foreign news agencies, eyewitnesses reported hearing voices. “There were big flames and we couldn’t get close to the aircraft. I heard a man calling for help but because of the fire and smoke we couldn’t help,” said a resident who rushed to the scene from the first moment. Another, speaking to the British BBC network, emphasized that he saw the aircraft spinning in the air before it crashed.
Air crashes are not uncommon in Nepal.
It is home to eight of the 14 highest mountains in the entire world, including the highest, Mount Everest, and weather conditions can change suddenly, dramatically. From 1946 until today, he “counts” 42 plane crashes. In the past, there has been severe criticism for both the lack of investment in new aircraft and the lack of safety checks.
It is no coincidence that the European Union has banned airlines from Nepal from flying in its airspace because of concerns about training conditions and maintenance standards. At the same time, this particular type of ATR aircraft has been involved in several accidents in recent years.
Yeti Airlines added the ATR72-500 aircraft to its fleet in 2019 and according to flightradar24.com the particular aircraft had been flying for the last 15 years with an old transponder with unreliable data.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
