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At least 68 people have died after a passenger plane crashed in central Nepal as it attempted to land, according to local officials.
A domestic flight departing from the country's capital, Kathmandu, was heading for the airport in the Himalayan resort city of Pokhara, Reuters reported.
The twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft, operated by domestic carrier Yeti Airlines, had 72 people on board. This included four members of crew and two infants, the news agency quoted airline spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula as saying.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal confirmed that 68 people had been killed in what news reports said was Nepal's deadliest aviation disaster in 30 years.
Of the passengers on board, 53 were believed to have been Nepalese, with five listed as Indian, four as Russian, and two as South Korean. It was also reported that there were single passengers from Ireland, Australia, France and Argentina.
A Nepal Civil Aviation Authority spokesman described continuing rescue efforts, adding that the weather conditions had been clear at the time of the crash.
Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency cabinet meeting as rescue efforts continue at the hillside crash site. Pokhara is around 125 miles from Kathmandu.
One clip, posted to Twitter and then picked up by local media and news accounts, appears to show the moment the plane veered off course as it heads towards the camera. The shot then pans downwards at what looks to be the moment of impact. Newsweek has been unable to independently verify the video.
An ATR 72 passenger plane with 72 people on board crashed in #Nepal. There was a huge fire at the crash site.
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 15, 2023
Yeti Airlines ATR 72 crashed on the runway of Pokhara International Airport. At least 32 people died. pic.twitter.com/fwkzSlvAJQ
Another video clip, posted to Twitter by news agency BNO News, appears to show thick black smoke billowing from the grassy area of the crash. Flames can be seen as vehicle horns blare.
BREAKING: Yeti Airlines plane carrying more than 70 people crashes in Pokhara, Nepal pic.twitter.com/iUMQ4N16sE
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 15, 2023
An official for the Kaski District of the Himalayan country said that the wreckage's location at the Seti River gorge made rescue and recovery efforts difficult, according to state-owned outlet The Rising Nepal.
Involved in the efforts are the Armed Police Force of the Nepal Army and Nepal's police, as well as rescue and fire-fighting services, according to a statement published by the country's Civil Aviation Authority on Twitter.
The statement added that next of kin of the passengers on board are being informed.
Eight of the world's highest mountains, including Everest, are located within Nepal's borders. The mountainous conditions are known for quickly-changing weather and perilous flying conditions.
In May 2022, 22 people were killed after a Tara Air Twin Otter plane crashed after takeoff from Pokhara, bound for the nearby town of Jomsom.
In 2016, another Tara Air Twin Otter flight, operating again from Pokhara to Jomsom, lost contact with the control tower and crashed shortly after departing from Pokhara, killing all 23 people on board.
In 2018, 51 people were killed as a US-Bangla Airlines crashed while landing in Kathmandu from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Update 1/15/2023; 5:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with later information.
Update 1/15/2023; 8:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with the latest death toll.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more