Un ATR 72-500 of Nepalese airline Yeti Airlines, what was on board 72 people – 68 passengers and four crew members – crashed in Nepal on Sunday, January 15, 2023. The aircraft crashed while on the short final approach of Runway 12 at Pokhara International Airport, Nepal.
The plane crashed on the banks of the Seti River between the old and new Pokhara Airports in central Nepal. The cabin was on fire and rescuers were trying to put out the fire. "Rescuers have already arrived at the scene and are trying to put out the fire", Yeti Airlines spokesman Gurudutta Dhakal said, adding that rescuers focused first on extinguishing the fire and rescuing the passengers.
72 were reported of the dead. Among the 68 passengers are three babies and three children, as well as 15 foreigners – five Indians, four Russians, two Koreans, one Irishman, one Argentinean and one Frenchman. A video on social media shows the final moments of the ATR-72 before the crash. The aircraft appears to be turning very sharply at low altitude prior to the crash.
Horrifying last moments of an ATR plane crash from Nepal in Pokhara that was bound for Kathmandu. All 72 people on board are dead. pic.twitter.com/4JZIvnThPQ
— Wajahat Kazmi (@KazmiWajahat) January 15, 2023
Nepalese aviation suffered from lack of safety and insufficient training and maintenance. The European Union (EU) has banned all Nepalese airlines from entering its airspace for security reasons. The Himalayas also have some of the most isolated and difficult tracks in the world, flanked by snow-capped peaks that challenge even the most experienced riders. The weather also changes rapidly in the mountains, creating even more difficult flying conditions.
The ATR 72-500 aircraft was 15.6 years old, the first flight being operated on August 1, 2007. It had the code 9N-ANC and was flying in the fleet of the Nepalese company Yeti Airlines. Operate a domestic flight between Kathmandu and Pokhara!