ATR 72 Yeti Airlines crashes in Nepal with at least one Australian on board

At least one Australian was among the passengers of a plane that crashed into a ravine in a popular resort town in Nepal, killing most on board.

At least 64 of the 72 on board were killed after the ATR 72 Yeti Airlines flight crashed while landing at a newly opened airport in the central resort of Pokhara on Sunday.

Airport officials have confirmed that one Australian was among the 15 foreigners on board the domestic flight from Kathmandu, along with five Indians, four Russians, one Irish, two South Koreans, one French and one Argentine.

It is currently unknown if the Australian was killed or any of the eight survivors of the horrific crash, Nepal’s worst air disaster in five years.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade for further details.

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency cabinet meeting after the plane crash

Harrowing footage showed the plane just before the disaster – Nepal’s worst crash in nearly five years.

Hundreds of rescue workers continued to search the slope where the domestic carrier Yeti Airlines plane flying from the capital Kathmandu crashed.

“Rescues are underway. The weather was clear,” said Jagannath Niroula, a spokesman for the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority, which confirmed the latest death toll at 64. Elsewhere, Kaski district deputy chief executive Gurudatta Dhakal said some survivors had been taken to hospital.

Local television showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds gathered around the plane’s wreckage.

The Nepalese Yeti Airlines twin-engine ATR 72 plane contained 72 people, including two infants and ten foreign nationals

Rescuers gather at the site of a plane crash in Pokhara today

Crowds gather at the crash site of a plane carrying 72 people in Pokhara, western Nepal

The plane was attempting to land at the newly opened airport in Pokhara when it crashed into the gorge

A spokesman for the Nepalese army said more bodies were expected to be found in the rubble

Local television showed rescuers scrambling around broken parts of the plane. Part of the ground near the crash site was scorched and flames could be seen.

“The plane is on fire,” police officer Ajay KC said, adding that rescue workers had difficulty reaching the site in a ravine between two hills near the tourist town’s airport.

The plane made contact with the airport from Seti Gorge at 10:50 am (0505 GMT), the aviation authority said in a statement. “Then it crashed.”

“Half of the plane is on a hill,” said Arun Tamu, a local resident who told Reuters he reached the site minutes after the plane crashed. “The other half fell into the gorge of the Seti River.”

Khum Bahadur Chhetri said he watched the plane approach from the roof of his house.

“I saw the plane shaking, moving left and right, and then suddenly its nose dove and it fell into the ravine,” Chhetri told Reuters, adding that local residents took two passengers to a hospital.

The plane, which is operated by domestic carrier Yeti Airlines (pictured), was 15 years old, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24

The crash is Nepal’s deadliest since March 2018, when a US Bangla Dash 8 turboprop flight from Dhaka crashed on landing in Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 people on board, according to Aviation Safety Network.

In May 2022, all 22 people on board a plane belonging to Nepalese airline Tara Air – including 16 Nepalese, four Indians and two Germans – died when it fell over a slope.

There were 72 people, including two infants and four crew members, on the twin-engine ATR 72 plane operated by Yeti in Sunday’s disaster, airline spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula said.

According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the plane was 15 years old.

“We expect to recover more bodies,” said army spokesman Krishna Bhandari. “The plane broke into pieces.”

Russian Ambassador to Nepal Alexei Novikov confirmed the deaths of four Russians aboard the crashed plane.

“Unfortunately, four citizens of the Russian Federation died. We are in constant contact with the Nepalese authorities and will provide all necessary assistance to the families of the dead Russians,” he said.

A South Korean embassy official said: “Two South Koreans are on the passenger list. We are trying to confirm if they were actually on board and their identity.’

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda (centre), receives information from officials about the tragedy in Pokhara

44 bodies are said to have been recovered from the wreckage of the plane

Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara

Life in the central resort of Pokhara has ground to a halt following the shocking crash today

Hundreds of onlookers rushed to the crash site, where the remains of the plane burst into flames

Rescue workers near the charred wreckage of the Yeti Airlines plane in Pokhara

So far, rescue workers have recovered the remains of 44 people from the crash site, with many more missing

Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he was “deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident”.

Nepal Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted his condolences.

“The loss of life in a tragic plane crash in Nepal is extremely unfortunate. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the bereaved,” the official said.

The ATR72 is a widespread twin-engine turboprop aircraft manufactured by a joint venture between Airbus and Leonardo of Italy. Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 aircraft, according to its website.

Air accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, as the weather can change suddenly and create dangerous conditions.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he was “deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident” and held an emergency cabinet meeting

Thick clouds of smoke followed the tragic crash

Crowds gather as rescue teams work to recover bodies at the plane crash site

The plane crashed into a ravine after taking off from Pokhara International Airport

Hundreds of Pokhara locals look down into the gorge as rescue workers continue the task of recovering bodies from the crash site

Prime Minister Dahal has called an emergency cabinet meeting after the plane crash, a government statement said.

The Nepalese aviation industry has boomed in recent years, moving goods and people as well as foreign trekkers and climbers between areas that are difficult to access.

But it has been plagued by a lack of security due to insufficient training and maintenance.

The European Union has banned all Nepalese airlines from its airspace over safety concerns.

The Himalayan country also has some of the most remote and difficult airstrips in the world, flanked by snow-capped peaks with approaches challenging even the most accomplished pilot.

Airplane operators have said Nepal lacks infrastructure for accurate weather forecasting, particularly in remote areas with challenging mountainous terrain where fatal crashes have occurred in the past.

The weather can also change quickly in the mountains, creating treacherous flying conditions.