Nepalese rescue workers scoured a debris-strewn ravine on Monday for four bodies missing from the wreckage of a plane that crashed with 72 people on board, with hopes of any survivors now “zero”, according to authorities.
A Yeti Airlines ATR 72 plunged into a steep ravine, crashed and burst into flames on approach to the central city of Pokhara on Sunday morning, in Nepal’s worst aviation disaster since 1992.
The cause of the crash is not yet known but a video on social media – verified by AFP partner ESN – shows the twin-prop plane banking suddenly and sharply to the left as it approaches Pokhara airport. A loud explosion followed.
Nepal, which has a poor record on air safety, was on alert on Monday for the victims.
Soldiers used ropes and stretchers to retrieve bodies from the 300-meter (1,000-foot) deep ravine overnight, with recovery efforts beginning Monday.
Also read: Search halted in Nepal for missing plane with 22 passengers on board
“Now we have collected 68 bodies. We are looking for four more bodies. We have to continue until we get the bodies,” local senior official Tek Bahadur KC told AFP.
“We are praying for a miracle. However, there is no hope of finding anyone alive,” he said.
Debris from the plane was scattered at the crash site, including the remains of the damaged passenger seat and the plane’s white fuselage.
– ‘The sick one’-
Raj Dhungana, the uncle of one of the 68 passengers, 23-year-old Sangita Shahi, told AFP outside a hospital in Pokhara that the whole family was “in pain”.
She describes a “very talented” young woman who is a student in Kathmandu, and also runs a makeup studio and works on an online business platform on the side.
“God has taken a wonderful man,” he said.
The passenger manifest included five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, and one each from Argentina, Australia, France and Ireland. The rest are Nepalese.
“Very sad news,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences.
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The ATR 72 took off from the capital Kathmandu and landed between the new Pokhara international airport and the old domestic airport before 11:00 a.m. (0515 GMT) on Sunday.
“I was walking when I heard a loud explosion, like a bomb exploding,” said witness Arun Tamu, 44, who was about 500 meters away and live-streamed video of the burning rubble on social media.
Also Read: Nepal tightens flight rules after crash that kills 22
“Some of us rushed to see if we could rescue anyone. I saw at least two women breathing. The fire was getting bigger and it became difficult to reach us,” the former soldier told AFP.
It was unclear if anyone on the ground was injured.
Aviation expert Greg Waldon told AFP that, from a video shared on social media, it appeared the plane had a “wing stall”, meaning one wing suddenly stopped providing lift.
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“When you’re in a low-lying place and you have an event like that… it’s a big deal,” Waldon, managing editor for Asia at industry publication FlightGlobal, told AFP.
France-based manufacturer ATR said in a statement on Sunday that “specialists have been involved to support the investigation and the customer”.
air industry of Nepal
Nepal’s air industry has flourished in recent years, transporting goods and people between hard-to-reach areas, as well as carrying foreign mountaineers.
Yeti Airlines, Nepal’s second largest carrier, was founded in 1998 by businessman Ang Tshering Sherpa, who died in a helicopter crash in 2019.
Also read: All 22 bodies retrieved from Nepal plane crash
The aviation sector has been plagued by poor safety due to insufficient training and maintenance. The European Union has banned all Nepalese operators from its airspace due to security concerns.
Nepal also has some of the most remote and difficult runways in the world, flanked by snow-capped peaks with difficult approaches and changeable weather.
The country’s worst aviation accident occurred in 1992, when all 167 people on board a Pakistan International Airlines jet were killed when it crashed on approach to Kathmandu.