At least 68 people were killed when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed in Nepal on Sunday morning, officials have said.
There were 68 passengers, including infants, and four crew aboard the ATR 72 aircraft travelling from Kathmandu to Pokhara.
At least 68 people had been killed in the crash, police official AK Chhetri told AFP, and 31 bodies were taken to a local hospital while another 36 remained in the gorge where the plane crashed.
The gorge is between Pokhara’s old airport and its new international airport, a Pokhara airport authority officer told The National.
“We don't know the reason for the crash yet, but the weather was clear,” the official said.
Images and videos posted on social media showed heavy smoke rising after the crash.
Hundreds of rescue workers were scouring the hilltop crash site.
“The plane broke into pieces,” army spokesman Krishna Bhandari told The National.
According to flightradar24.com, the aircraft was 15 years old and “equipped with an old transponder with unreliable data”.
Nepal's civil aviation authority said there were 15 foreign citizens on the flight — five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, and one each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France.
"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," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Sunday.
Pokhara is a popular tourist destination and is known as the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit, a popular hiking trail in the Himalayas. The new international airport was opened on January 1.
The crash is Nepal's deadliest since March 2018, when 51 people died in a crash-landing near Kathmandu's international airport.
Plane crashes are common in Nepal, which has a poor flight safety record and infrastructure.
Yeti Airlines is the country's second-largest carrier after Buddha Air. In 2018, it was voted one of the world's worst airlines.
Nepali airlines have been banned from European Union airspace since 2013, after eight Britons were killed in a Kathmandu plane crash.
Its airports are difficult to land in, and the mountainous terrain can create hazardous weather.
In May, 22 people died when a plane crashed in a mountainous area after departing from Pokhara.
That crash prompted authorities to tighten regulations, including clearing flights for take-off only if there was favourable weather forecast throughout the route.
That accident was Nepal's deadliest since 1992, when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane died when it crashed on approach to Kathmandu.
Just two months earlier, 113 people were killed when a Thai Airways aircraft crashed near the same airport.
Agencies contributed to this report
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
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Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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Joker: Folie a Deux
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Director: Todd Phillips
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The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
Company Profile:
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Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
VEZEETA PROFILE
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Founder: Amir Barsoum
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Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
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- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
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