Authorities Confirm 68 People Killed In Nepal Plane Crash, With Reports An Australian Was On Board

Authorities in Nepal said 68 people have been confirmed dead after a plane with 72 onboard crashed into a gorge on Sunday morning. It’s the country’s worst aviation disaster in three decades. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal confirmed the news in a press release shared to Twitter.

#YetiAirlines #9N-ANC #Crash

Press Release pic.twitter.com/HPmOuH6pMN

— Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (@hello_CAANepal) January 15, 2023

ABC

“We have sent 31 bodies to the hospital and are still taking out 33 bodies from the gorge,” police official Ajay KC said, per the ABC. He added that the rescue operation was difficult due to the location of the crash site in the gorge.

Krishna Prasad Bhandari  the Guardian

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal confirmed in a press release that 15 foreign nationals were onboard the flight, including one Australian, one French, one Argentinian, five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans and one person from Ireland.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal  Al Jazeera Khum Bahadur Chhetri Reuters

“I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then suddenly its nose dived and it went into the gorge,” he said.

Arun Tamu, another local resident, told the publication half the plane is on the hillside.

“The other half has fallen into the gorge of the Seti river,” he said.

Journalist Ramyata Limbu told Al Jazeera the crash was “shocking and surprising”, as locals in Pokhara posited both the weather and visibility were “good”.

“Eyewitnesses said the plane was having problems before it crashed into a gorge close to the airport,” she said.

Aviation Safety Network data showed it is Nepal’s deadliest crash since 1992, when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300 died after the aircraft crashed while approaching Kathmandu.

Per SBS News, at least 309 people have been killed in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal since 2000.

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According to the , the Yeti Airlines plane was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara, about 200 kilometres west of the capital, when it crashed into a 300-metre gorge. Army spokesman said no survivors had been found yet, per . The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the ABC it was aware an Australian was among the 72 passengers onboard and was trying to confirm their welfare as a matter of urgency. Nepal’s Prime Minister has called an emergency cabinet meeting, per . The government has also formed a panel to investigate the cause of the incident. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal confirmed in a statement that the plane made contact with Pokhara Airport from Seti Gorge at 10.50am local time. “Then it crashed,” it said. Local resident told he saw the crash from the roof of his house.