At least 68 killed in Nepal’s worst airplane crash in 30 years

As Nepal commemorated a day of mourning on Monday for the victims of its biggest aviation accident in three decades, the black box and cockpit voice recorder from the Yeti Airlines jet that crashed in Nepal have been discovered. The crash was Nepal’s deadliest aviation catastrophe in three decades.

An officer from the Kathmandu International Airport named Teknath Sitaula said that the so-called black boxes were “in excellent condition currently. They appear beautiful from the outside.”

An official from the government of Nepal said that the plane accident that occurred on Sunday in the city of Pokhara in the country’s central region resulted in at least 68 fatalities, making it the worst aviation disaster in Nepal in more than 30 years.

Seventy-two people were on board the ATR 72 jet operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines when it crashed, according to Yeti Airlines spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula. According to Nepal’s civil aviation authorities, 37 were males, 25 were women, three were children, and three were newborns.

The search was called off after dusk, according to Army spokesperson Krishna Prasad Bhandari, and will continue Monday morning. Before then, hundreds of first responders were still looking for the last four people, according to Bhandari.

According to statistics from the Aviation Safety Network, Sunday’s tragedy was the third-deadliest in the Himalayan nation’s history. The only times more people were murdered were in July and September of 1992. Thai Airways and Pakistan International airlines were involved in the accidents, which killed 113 and 167 persons, respectively.

According to the civil aviation authorities, all four crew members and 53 of the passengers were Nepalis. There were also fifteen foreign nationals aboard the plane: five Indians, four Russians, and two Koreans. The remainder were individuals from Australia, Argentina, France, and Ireland.

According to the country’s official media The Rising Nepal, the plane was traveling from Kathmandu to Pokhara, the country’s second-most populated city and a gateway to the Himalayas. Pokahara is 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of Kathmandu.

The jet last communicated with Pokhara airport at about 10:50 a.m. local time, just 18 minutes after departure. It then crashed into the neighboring Seti River Gorge. The Nepal Army and several police agencies have been sent to the accident scene and are conducting a rescue effort, according to civil aviation officials.

On Sunday, a video clip circulated on social media showing the moments before the plane crashed. The video, which seems to have been shot from the roof of a home in Pokhara, shows the jet flying low over a busy area and rolling on its side before disappearing from view. At the conclusion of the video, a tremendous explosion can be heard.

A five-person committee has also been constituted to examine the crash’s cause. According to Nepal’s deputy prime minister and government spokesman Bishnu Paudel, the quintet must provide a report to the government within 45 days.