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Nepal Tragedy: Passenger Plane With 72 Onboard, Including 5 Indians; Crashed Seconds Before Landing
Writer: Ronit Kumar Singh
A confident and reliable journalist who always desires to toss the unheard voices. I cover politics and governance extensively through stories.
Others/World, 15 Jan 2023 10:09 AM GMT
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A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Creatives : Ronit Kumar Singh
A confident and reliable journalist who always desires to toss the unheard voices. I cover politics and governance extensively through stories.
In a shocking incident, a plane carrying 68 passengers and four crew members from Kathmandu to Pokhara crashed 10 seconds before landing. As per reports, as many as 14 international passengers were on board, including 5 Indians, when the mishap occurred.
A passenger plane in Nepal met with a tragedy on Sunday (January 15) near Pokhara airport. The plane, ATR-72, which was carrying 72 passengers from Kathmandu to Pokhara, crashed 10 seconds prior to landing. It left the Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am and faced technical glitches while making a safe landing.
Reportedly, the death toll has mounted to 40 after the p crashed in a forested area located on the banks of the Seti Gandaki river. According to officials, the aircraft had 14 international visitors- five Indians, four from Russia, one Irish national, one Argentinian, and two Koreans. Among 72 passengers, four were cabin crew, and three were infants.
Soon after the incident, the government called an emergency official meeting. The sources from the Nepal aviation authority claim that the ATR 72 plane belonged to Yeti Airlines, which primarily uses old planes for transporting passengers. The turboprop plane with a maximum 500 kmph speed is generally used to fly at low altitudes, especially in Nepal's geographic conditions.
Nepal's PM Reaches Airport
After the tragedy, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane reached the Tribhuvan airport to understand the situation and cause behind the air accident. Nepal aviation authority has claimed that crash occurred due to a technical glitch. The plane pilot took permission from the Air Control Room for landing, and a nod was given immediately. But seconds before the pilot tried to land the plane, the tragedy took place.
Soon after the mishap, the PM took to Twitter and wrote, "I am deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident of Yeti Airlines ANC ATR 72, which was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara with passengers. I sincerely appeal to the security personnel, all agencies of the Nepal government and the general public to start an effective rescue."
काठमाडौंबाट यात्रु लिएर पोखराका लागि उडेको यती एयरलाइन्सको एएनसी एटीआर ७२ जहाजको दुखद र त्रासदीपूर्ण दुर्घटनाप्रति गहिरो दुख व्यक्त गर्दछु। प्रभावकारी उद्दारमा लाग्न सुरक्षाकर्मी, नेपाल सरकार सम्पूर्ण निकाय र आम जनसमुदायमा हार्दिक अपील गर्दछु।
— ☭ Comrade Prachanda (@cmprachanda) January 15, 2023
Why Is It Risky To Fly In Nepal?
The recent plane crash in Nepal is the deadliest in the last five years, since 2018 when a turboprop flight from Dhaka crashed while trying to make a safe landing in Kathmandu. According to Nepal Aviation officials, the incident resulted in the death of 51 people.
Last year in May, a plane carrying 22 passengers from Pokhara to Jomson crashed near the Mustang district of Nepal. The 9N-AET aircraft operated by Tara Air met a tragic accident due to extreme geographic conditions.
Air crashes in Nepal are common due to the country's mountainous terrain and the dearth of investment in new planes. Financial Express reported that most airstrips are installed in mountainous areas, which often take sudden turns. The European Union has also blacklisted Nepal airlines for the same reasons. The people of Nepal have also advised the government to revamp the country's aviation sector for the safety of passengers.
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