Search and rescue operation underway to find two missing passengers

KATHMANDU, Jan 17: All the 72 people on board the Yeti Airlines’ 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft that crashed into the Seti River gorge near Pokhara Airport on Sunday morning are feared dead even though the search and rescue efforts are underway to find two missing persons in the deep ravine.

The crash involving Yeti Airlines’ 9N-ANC ATR-72 is the biggest disaster in Nepal’s aviation history in the domestic flight segment in terms of human casualties, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). While the bodies of 70 deceased have been found, two are still missing.  

According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Ajay KC, chief of the District Police Office, Kaski,  two more bodies were found from the Seti River gorge on Monday afternoon while 68 bodies were recovered on Sunday itself. A team of Nepalese Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police has been deployed for the search operation.

According to Yeti Airlines, among the 70 deceased, 41 have been identified as of Monday evening. Out of the 70 people who lost their lives in the plane crash, autopsies of 24 bodies are being performed in Pokhara while the remaining 46 bodies including that of crew members and foreigners will be brought to Kathmandu on Tuesday via the army’s helicopter for post-mortem. 

Doctors at Pokhara Institute of Health Sciences said the bodies of 24 people will be handed over to their respective family members on Tuesday. The bodies of journalist Tribhuvan Paudel, guitarist  Nishan Acharya, make-up artist Sangita Shahi, Om Maya Gurung, Yasmin Gurung, Pujan Rana, Arun Paudel, Prashidhi Paudel, Jeevan Kala Gurung, Poorna Bahadur Gurung, Sadaqat Ali Miya, Lakshmi Paudel, Nira Chatyal, Bijay Kumar Gurung, Lucky Gurung, Shalik Ram Acharya, Dr Ganesh Thapa, Mohan Prakash Shrestha, Sita Gurung, Jamuna Sharma, Bandana Sunar, Serbin Shrestha, Anusha Gurung and Shiva Kumar Gurung are being kept in Pokhara and will be handed over to their family members. 

Black box of the crashed aircraft found

The 'black box' of the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed in Pokhara on Sunday has been recovered. Spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Jagannath Niraula informed Republica that the black box was found on Monday morning.

“The black box is considered crucial in finding the cause of the plane crash. The black box contains Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder,” he said. The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) that was found during the search operation by the security personnel deployed for the rescue have been handed over to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

The CAAN said that the black box will be brought to Kathmandu and submitted to the Air Crash Investigation Committee.

Air Crash Investigation Committee starts its work

The Air Crash Investigation Committee formed by an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday to investigate the crash involving the Yeti Airlines plane in Pokhara has started its work on Monday.

The probe committee has been given the responsibility to identify the cause of the accident and submit a report with suggestions for actions to be taken to prevent such accidents in the future. The committee has been given a period of 45 days to submit its final report. 

The five-member probe body has been formed as per the Non-Military Air Accident Investigation Regulations, 2071 BS to find out the truth about the crash of the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed on Sunday. Former secretary Nagendra Ghimire is the coordinator of the probe body.

Aviation experts Deepak Prakash Bastola (retired major general) and Sunil Thapa (retired captain) and air maintenance engineer Ekraj Jung Thapa and Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) are its members.

CAAN conducts technical test of ATR-42 and ATR-72 aircraft

CAAN conducted a detailed technical test of all ATR-42 and ATR-72 aircraft operating in Nepal on Monday. The flight safety inspectors of the authority have completed a more detailed technical test of all ATR-42 and ATR-72 aircraft operating in Nepal following the crash of Yeti Airlines aircraft. The CAAN has stated that no technical faults were found in any of the aircraft during the test. 

 
• Pokhara
 
• Plane_Crash
 
• Yeti_Airlines