A 72-seater aircraft belonging to Yeti Airlines crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal on Saturday morning which resulted in the death of all 68 passengers and four crew members onboard.

53 Nepalis, 5 Indians, 4 Russians, One Irish, 2 Koreans, 1 Argentinian and a French national were on board, the airport authority said.

The flight was en route from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The plane took off from Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am today.

5 Indians onboard killed in the crash

There were 5 Indians onboard who died in the deadly crash. The Indian nationals have been identified as Abhisekh Kushwaha, Bishal Sharma, Anil Kumar Rajbhar, Sonu Jaiswal and Sanjaya Jaiswal, a Yeti Airlines official said.

This is very unfortunate, we express our condolences, said Shankar P Sharma, Nepal Ambassador to India.

What caused this deadly crash in Nepal

According to the civil aviation authority, flames were seen in the plane just before landing. The authorities have ruled out adverse weather as the reason for the crash.

As per the initial probe, it looks like a technical glitch caused the crash.

Nepal airport authority officials said the crash occurred due to a technical glitch. The pilot took permission for landing from Air Traffic Control (ATC) and a nod was given for the same.

A 5-member inquiry commission has been set up to probe the Yeti Airlines plane crash.

Nepal PM, India’s Civil Aviation Minister express grief

Nepal PM Prachanda expressed grief on this unfortunate incident and said, that he is deeply saddened by the tragic accident of Yeti Airlines ANC ATR 72, which was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara with passengers.

He appealed to the security personnel, all agencies of the Nepal government and the general public to start an effective rescue.

India’s Civil Aviation minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, too expressed his concern on the matter. Scindia wrote, that the loss of lives in a tragic plane crash in Nepal is extremely unfortunate.

My thoughts & prayers are with the families of the bereaved. Nepal has declared a one-day national mourning tomorrow in wake of the aircraft crash at Pokhara airport.

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