At least 68 people have died in Sunday’s crash of a Yeti Airlines plane in the central Nepalese city of Pokhara with 72 people on board.
The plane had left Kathmandu for Pokhara at 10.33 am (local time) and, for reasons already under investigation, crashed during its approach to the international airport of Pokhara, in the valley of the Seti River.
On board the plane were 68 passengers, two pilots and two stewardesses, including six minors, making a total of 72 on the flight manifest.
The provisional death toll has been confirmed by a police spokesman to the DPA news agency.
In addition to the Nepalese, on board were Indian, Russian, Korean nationals and at least one passenger from Ireland, one from Argentina and one from France, airport authorities confirmed to the Indian news agency ANI.
As reported by the local media ‘Nepal News’, the chief of Kaski district, Tek Bahadur, said that after receiving information about the plane crash in the Seti river valley, he instructed the hospital and ambulances to be on high alert.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is at the coordination center at Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu accompanied by Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.
The chief minister has instructed all government agencies to take effective rescue measures and declared national mourning after the emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers held this morning.
