Nepal plane crash: Search, rescue operations resume in Pokhara

Rescuers inspect the site of a plane crash in Pokhara. Pic/ AFP

Search and rescue operations resumed on Monday morning in Pokhara, a day after an aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines crashed in the Nepal resort just minutes before it was set to land. As per the latest toll, 68 bodies have been recovered from the site of the crash.

Rescue operations resumed this morning to trace four people who are still missing, DIG of the Nepal Armed Police Force, Shambhu Subedi told ANI. The aircraft with 68 passengers, including five Indians, and four crew members on board crashed in Nepal's Pokhara on Sunday.

The plane, a 72-seater passenger aircraft, crashed minutes before it landed at the newly-opened Pokhara international airport situated near the old airport. The twin-engine turboprop ATR 72 plane crashed en route from the Nepali capital of Kathmandu to Pokhara.

Also Read: Have not rescued anyone alive from plane crash site: Nepal Army

Kathmandu Post on Sunday quoted Sudarshan Bartaula, a spokesperson of Yeti Airlines as saying that the ATR 72 Yeti airlines aircraft crashed between the old airport and the Pokhara International Airport. Images and videos of the crash posted on social media platforms showed plumes of smoke billowing out of the crash site.

Earlier today, Nepal Army said they did not find any survivors at the site of the crash. "We haven't rescued anyone alive from the crash site," said Nepal Army Spokesperson Krishna Prasad Bhandari.

The country's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers. He has directed the country's home ministry, security personnel and all government agencies to carry out immediate rescue and relief operations. The Nepalese authorities have tasked a special commission with investigating the cause of the crash. A report is expected in 45 days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders expressed grief and prayed for the bereaved families of the Nepal plane crash. Apart from five Indians, four Russians, and one Irish national were also among the 68 passengers who were on the crashed aircraft, according to Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority.

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