Pained by tragic chopper crash in Nepal: PM Modi

New Delhi, Jan 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he was pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals.

"Pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families.
@cmprachanda @PM_nepal_, [sic]" PM Modi tweeted.

At least 68 people were killed when a Nepalese passenger plane with 72 people onboard, including five Indians, crashed into a river gorge while landing at the newly-opened airport in central Nepal's resort city of Pokhara on Sunday in the Himalayan nation's deadliest aviation accident in over 30 years.

Yeti Airlines' 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am and crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport minutes before landing, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

Meanwhile, the rescue and search operation in the Nepal plane crash that killed 68 people on Sunday has been halted and will resume on Monday to find the remaining bodies trapped in a deep river gorge surrounded by steep cliffs.

The plane fell into the Seti River gorge. The 300-metre-deep gorge is considered dangerous for venturing because of the steep cliffs on its both sides. The river that flows deep down the gorge is not easily visible from above. At least 32 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage site.

According to officials, the rescue and search operation has been halted for Sunday and will resume on Monday. Identification of the bodies of those who died in the crash will start only after all the bodies have been collected, My Republica website reported.

All flights regular scheduled for Monday have been cancelled. According to the airlines, only emergency and rescue flights will operate on Monday. "In mourning for the passengers who lost their lives in the accident of Yeti Airlines 9N-ANC ATR-72 500, we would like to inform you that all regular flights of Yeti Airlines for 16th January 2023 have been cancelled.