NEW DELHI – At least 68 people were killed when a Nepalese plane carrying 68 passengers and four crew members crashed near the city of Pokhara in central Nepal, Sunday morning, officials said.
Krishna Bhandari, a Nepal Army spokesman, told Anadolu that 68 bodies have so far been recovered from the crash site.
He said rescue operations continue to find four others who remain missing.
Fanindra Mani Pokharel, a senior official at Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs, told Anadolu that a passenger plane operated by Nepal-based Yeti Airlines crashed close to Pokhara, a popular tourist destination and the administrative headquarters for the Kaski district, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu.
Social media images and videos show plumes of smoke rising from the crash site.
Officials of the civil aviation authority said the passenger plane carried both Nepalese and foreign nationals.
Police spokesman Tek Prasad Rai said police and army personnel rushed to the crash site.
Last year, 22 people died when a private plane operated by Nepal’s Tara Air crashed shortly after taking off from Pokhara.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed sadness over the “tragic accident,” urging effective search and rescue efforts.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu on Sunday said at least five Indians were onboard the flight, citing information from Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority.(PNA)
