Moments after an aircraft crashed in Nepal Sunday morning, killing no less than 68 of the 72 passengers aboard, gut-wrenching footage showed the plane engulfed in flames, and black smoke billowing above the wreckage.
Clips of the horrifying aftermath posted online showed the wreckage still ablaze as rescue employees recovered bodies from a gorge the plane crashed into while landing at a newly opened airport within the resort town of Pokhara.
The chilling images showed scores of rescue employees, Nepali soldiers and onlookers gathered at the positioning of the crash — the Himalayan country’s deadliest airplane accident in three many years.
Other harrowing clips posted on Twitter showed a plane flying at a dangerously low altitude over a residential area turning sharply left before a loud explosion.
Flight operator Yeti Airlines confirmed there have been 72 people aboard – 68 passengers and 4 crew. Among the many passengers were 15 foreign nationals, including one Australian, one French, one Argentinian, 4 Russians, five Indians, two South Koreans and one person from Ireland. Two infants were also on board, the Kathmandu Post reported.
Bishnu Tiwari, who lives near the crash site, rushed to the scene to assist seek for bodies. Thick smoke and flames that engulfed the aircraft hampered rescue efforts, he said.
“The flames were so hot that we couldn’t go near the wreckage. I heard a person crying for help, but due to flames and smoke we couldn’t help him,” Tiwari said.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the plane was flying from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara in central Nepal when it crashed. It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.
Dahal, who rushed to the airport after the crash, has arrange a panel to analyze the grim accident’s cause.
“The incident was tragic. The total force of the Nepali army, police has been deployed for rescue,” he said.
Weather can change suddenly in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, that could make air travel difficult.
Sunday’s crash is Nepal’s deadliest since 1992, when all 167 passengers aboard a Pakistan International Airlines flight were killed when the plane crashed right into a hill. There have been 42 fatal plane crashes in Nepal since 1946, based on the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety database.
With Post wires