Edited By: Shankhyaneel Sarkar
Last Updated: January 17, 2023, 14:42 IST
Five Indians, including the four from Ghazipur, were on board the Yeti Airlines plane which crashed in Pokhara on Sunday(PTI Photo)
As one more body was recovered from the accident site at Seti River gorge in Pokhara valley, on Monday night, the total number of confirmed dead has climbed to 70, the sources said
Hospital staff in Nepal have begun handing over the dead bodies of those who died in the Yeti Airlines crash on Sunday in Pokhara. Local news outlets reported that 70 bodies have been recovered out of the 72. 25 dead bodies were brought to capital Kathmandu and 23 others are being brought to the capital city for post mortem at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.
The Yeti Airlines flight which was carrying 72 people – 68 passengers and four crew members – descended into a steep gorge, breaking into pieces and then exploding as it attempted to land in the city of Pokhara.
There were 53 Nepalese passengers, 15 foreign nationals onboard and five among those were Indian nationals. The five Indian nationals were from Uttar Pradesh and have been identified as Abhisekh Kushwaha, 25, Bishal Sharma, 22, Anil Kumar Rajbhar, 27, Sonu Jaiswal, 35, and Sanjaya Jaiswal.
There were also six children on the flight. All of them are believed to have not survived in the crash.
Nepali rescue agencies are working round the clock to extract the dead bodies of the passengers from the 300 metre deep gorge.
A senior official said that the chances of finding anyone alive was zero. They told news agency AFP that a human body was found in three pieces and they couldn’t confirm if the parts belonged to the same person. They said that it could only be confirmed via a DNA test if it is the same person.
The black box of the aircraft has been found and authorities are trying to ascertain the reason for the crash. A video on social media showed the twin-propeller aircraft banking suddenly and sharply to the left as it neared Pokhara airport followed by a loud explosion.
France-based ATR, who designed the black box, were due to arrive in Nepal on Tuesday, news agency AFP reported. Nepal has a poor record when it comes to aviation safety.
Due to insufficient training and maintenance, the Himalayan nation’s aviation sector has suffered.
Aviation experts also attribute Nepal’s deadly history of air crashes to its trickiest and most remote runways which are often surrounded by snowy peaks and deep gorges.
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