A 72-seater passenger aircraft crashed on the runway at Pokhara International Airport in Nepal on Sunday, reported AFP citing a spokesman for Yeti Airlines.
At least 40 people were killed in the crash, reported Reuters. According to media reports, the crashed plane had five Indians, four Russians, an Irish and two South Korean passengers on board.
"We expect to recover more bodies," Reuters quoted Krishna Bhandari as saying. "The plane has broken into pieces."
Rescue operations are underway and the airport is closed for the time being. Yeti Air ATR72 aircraft was flying to Pokhara from Kathmandu, Nepal.
"There are 68 passengers on board and four crew members... Rescue is underway, we don't know right now if there are survivors," AFP quoted Sudarshan Bartaula as saying.
According to Tek Bahadur KC, Chief District Officer of the Kaski district, the plane crashed into the Seti river gorge. Rescue operations are currently being conducted, he was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times newspaper.
Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers following the crash.
He expressed sadness over the crash and directed the Home Ministry, security personnel and all the government agencies to carry out immediate rescue and relief operations.
Details of the accident are yet to come.
Images and videos posted on social media platforms showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site.
Nepal has had a fraught record of aviation accidents, partly due to its sudden weather changes and airstrips located in hard-to-access rocky terrains.
The last major air accident in Nepal happened on May 29 when all 22 people onboard, including four members of an Indian family, were killed as a Tara Air plane crashed in Nepal's mountainous Mustang district.
Yeti Airline has been in the sky since 1998 and has had a few major incidents earlier. It is Nepal’s second largest domestic carrier after Buddha Air.
(With inputs from agencies)
At least 40 people were killed in the crash, reported Reuters. According to media reports, the crashed plane had five Indians, four Russians, an Irish and two South Korean passengers on board.
"We expect to recover more bodies," Reuters quoted Krishna Bhandari as saying. "The plane has broken into pieces."
Rescue operations are underway and the airport is closed for the time being. Yeti Air ATR72 aircraft was flying to Pokhara from Kathmandu, Nepal.
"There are 68 passengers on board and four crew members... Rescue is underway, we don't know right now if there are survivors," AFP quoted Sudarshan Bartaula as saying.
According to Tek Bahadur KC, Chief District Officer of the Kaski district, the plane crashed into the Seti river gorge. Rescue operations are currently being conducted, he was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times newspaper.
Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers following the crash.
He expressed sadness over the crash and directed the Home Ministry, security personnel and all the government agencies to carry out immediate rescue and relief operations.
Details of the accident are yet to come.
Images and videos posted on social media platforms showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site.
Nepal has had a fraught record of aviation accidents, partly due to its sudden weather changes and airstrips located in hard-to-access rocky terrains.
The last major air accident in Nepal happened on May 29 when all 22 people onboard, including four members of an Indian family, were killed as a Tara Air plane crashed in Nepal's mountainous Mustang district.
Yeti Airline has been in the sky since 1998 and has had a few major incidents earlier. It is Nepal’s second largest domestic carrier after Buddha Air.
(With inputs from agencies)
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