On Sunday (15 Jan), a flight carrying 72 passengers from Yeti Airlines crashed in the Himalayan region of Nepal, killing at least 68.
Officials called off the rescue operation on 15 Jan after dusk due to lack of visibility, stating it would resume on Monday (16 Jan).
A committee set up by authorities is currently investigating the crash and will report within 45 days.
CNN reports that the crash occurred in Pokhara, Nepal in the early hours of 15 Jan.
Source: Twitter
According to the country’s Civil Aviation Authority, the plane, flying from Kathmandu, made contact with Pokhara Airport from Seti Gorge at around 10.50am local time, 18 minutes after takeoff. It then crashed in the nearby area.
A Pokhara Airport spokesman commented on the matter as well, stating that the airplane crashed as it approached the airport.
It had cruised at 12,500 feet, and was on a “normal descent.”
The flight’s 72 passengers included four crew members and 68 passengers, 15 of which were foreign nationals. Three infants and three children were also on board.
The statement additionally confirmed that at least 68 people were killed in the crash.
Alleged footage of the crash has emerged on Twitter, showing smoke billowing out of the clearly aflame wreckage of the aircraft.
Source: Twitter
Authorities have launched rescue operations with hundreds of rescue workers searching the hillside where the flight went down.
Source: CNN
Later in the evening of 15 Jan, officials called off search operations and said they will resume on 16 Jan.
With the weather being clear, there was no immediate indication of what could have caused the accident.
Nepal’s government has established a panel to conduct an investigation into the matter. It is expected to report within 45 days, according to Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Bishnu Paudel.
France’s air accident investigation agency BEA has announced that it will participate in the probe into the crash. It will coordinate with all parties involved.
Yeti has announced the cancellation of all regular flights for 16 Jan. This is in “mourning for the passengers who lost their lives,” Reuters reports.
The airplane involved in the accident was reportedly an ATR72 model, hailing from European planemaker ATR. Currently, Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 planes.
“ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer,” ATR said in a statement.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 stated via Twitter that the airplane was 15 years old. It allegedly contained an old transponder with unreliable data as well.
Source: Twitter
The last signal from the transponder reportedly came in at 5.12am GMT at an altitude of 2,875 feet above mean sea level, FlightRadar24 added.
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Featured image adapted from Twitter.
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