5 Indians among 72 passengers who were onboard Nepal plane; Embassy issues helpline numbers

While landing at the Pokhara airport, the aircraft crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport.

Kathmandu, Jan 15: The Yeti Airlines plane, which crashed in Nepal's Pokhara Sunday, was carrying five Indians. As many as 45 bodies have been recovered from the crash site so far.

"53 Nepali, 5 Indian, 4 Russian, One Irish, 2 Koreans, 1 Argentinian and a French national were on board," said Neap Airport authority.

"The loss of lives in a tragic plane crash in Nepal is extremely unfortunate. My thoughts & prayers are with the families of the bereaved. Om Shanti (sic)," Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted tweeted.

The Indian Embassy in Nepal has issued helpline numbers.

"Deeply saddened by crash of a plane carrying 72 passengers and crew members, incl some Indians in Pokhara. We express our heartfelt condolences to families of deceased. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragedy," tweeted Ambassador of Nepal to India.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Yeti Airlines' 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am. Pokhara is a major tourist destination in the Himalayan nation.

While landing at the Pokhara airport, the aircraft crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport. There were a total of 68 passengers and four crew members, Republica newspaper reported.

The passengers included 10 foreigners, according to the state-run Nepal Television. It was not immediately clear if any Indian national was among the passengers travelling to the scenic region.

At least 45 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage site, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported.

According to Tek Bahadur KC, Chief District Officer of the Kaski district, the plane crashed into the Seti river gorge. Rescue operations are currently being conducted, he was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times newspaper.

Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers following the crash.

He expressed sadness over the crash and directed the Home Ministry, security personnel and all the government agencies to carry out immediate rescue and relief operations.

Images and videos posted on social media platforms showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site.

Nepal has had a fraught record of aviation accidents, partly due to its sudden weather changes and airstrips located in hard-to-access rocky terrains.

The last major air accident in Nepal happened on May 29 when all 22 people onboard, including four members of an Indian family, were killed as a Tara Air plane crashed in Nepal's mountainous Mustang district.

with PTI inputs