Govt announces national mourning, forms investigation committee and makes it mandatory for technical inspection of aircraft before take-off

KATHMANDU, Jan 16: Nepal on Sunday witnessed the biggest ever disaster in aviation history of its domestic flights segment when a Yeti Airlines plane with 72 people on board crashed into the Seti River gorge near Pokhara Airport while making a final approach for landing.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the crash involving Yeti Airlines’ 9N-ANC ATR-72 is the single biggest in the domestic flight segment in terms of the number of human casualties. 

Although the authorities are yet to officially announce the casualties, it is believed that all 72 people including four crew members on board are presumed dead considering that the crash site is located in a deep gorge with steep cliffs making even rescue efforts difficult.

Among the 72 people onboard the aircraft, 68 dead bodies have already been recovered by the time this news report was prepared. The search for remaining bodies is currently underway, according to the government officials.

CAAN authorities said the weather was clear when the accident took place and suspected technical fault for the crash although they made it clear that the official announcement will be made only after an investigation.

This is the second fatal air crash within eight months, dealing a severe blow to the aviation industry of Nepal as it makes desperate attempts to get itself removed from the blacklist of the European Union (EU), which has banned Nepali airliners from flying in its airspace since 2013 citing safety concerns.

Prior to this disaster, a Twin Otter aircraft of Tara Air, a sister company of Yeti Airlines, had crashed in Mustang on May 29, 2022 killing a total of 22 people including three crew members onboard. The aircraft had lost contact from the sky above the Ghorepani area on the Pokhara-Jomsom air route. Bad weather leading to poor visibility was blamed for the accident.

Back then, the company was heavily criticized for flying an aircraft which was built some four decades ago, leading to speculations that the crash might have occurred due to the use of aging aircraft.

However, the aircraft that crashed on Sunday was said to be ill-equipped.

Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said on Twitter that the Yeti Airlines aircraft that crashed on Sunday was 15 years old and allegedly equipped with an old transponder with unreliable data, according to Livemint.

A total of 72 people including four crew members and 68 passengers were on board the plane which took off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33AM. The aircraft was flown by pilots Kamal KC and Anju Khatiwada along with air hostess Srijana Hongchun and Osin Ale Magar.

According to CAAN sources, 53 Nepalis and five Indians were among the passengers. Apart from them, there were four passengers from Russia, two passengers from Korea, one each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France.

Govt announces one-day national mourning

Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the cabinet held on Sunday afternoon following the plane crash in Pokhara decided to observe a one-day national mourning on Monday to mourn the deaths of dozens of passengers and crew members.

Similarly, the cabinet meeting also decided to form a five-member probe committee to investigate the crash. The committee has been formed under the coordination of former secretary Nagendra Ghimire to identify the cause of the plane crash and prevent such accidents from happening in the future.

“The members of the commission are aviation expert and retired Captain Deepak Prakash Bastola of the Nepalese Army, retired Captain Sunil Thapa, and aircraft maintenance engineer Ekraj Jung Thapa. Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, joint secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation is the member secretary,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel.

The government has also decided to set up a call center at Tribhuvan International Airport for the families and relatives who want to get information about the incident. Those concerned can call Pemba Sherpa at 9801007531 on behalf of Yeti Airlines and dial at 01-4113163 on behalf of Tribhuvan International Airport Civil Aviation Office.

Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel said that the government will facilitate the family members and relatives to claim the bodies of the plane crash victims. The government has also instructed concerned authorities to conduct technical inspection of all domestic aircraft.

Earlier, Prime Minister Pupsha Kamal Dahal and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane had reached the Tribhuvan International Airport to get details about the plane crash of Yeti Airlines in Pokhara. They were scheduled to visit the crash site along with another Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha for inspection. However, after the security agencies said that their arrival would hinder the rescue operation as traffic management and other preparations had to be done, their visit was canceled.

Leaders across parties extend condolences 

Leaders of the ruling and opposition parties have expressed grief over the plane crash in Pokhara. President Bidya Devi Bhandari wrote on social media, “I am shocked by the news that the ATR-72 plane of Yeti Airlines has crashed in Pokhara. Expressing my deepest condolences to the passengers and crew members who lost their lives in the accident, I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families.”

Nepali Congress President and leader of the main opposition party Sher Bahadur Deuba said that the plane crash shocked him and he expressed condolences to all the departed souls. He had instructed the local party workers of his Nepali Congress to help in the rescue efforts. Deuba had also requested the government to make the rescue works prompt and effective.

Similarly, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has expressed grief over the plane crash in Pokhara and requested the government for effective rescue. He wrote on social media, "I offer my heartfelt condolences to all those who lost their lives in the accident and express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families."

Former King Gyanendra Shah has also expressed grief over the plane crash. The Secretariat of the former King Shah issued a statement and expressed grief over the Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara on Sunday morning. He also expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the plane crash.

Likewise, CPN (Unified Socialist) Party Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal said he was devastated by the news of the plane crash. He drew the attention of the government to find out the real cause of the accident as soon as possible and make it public, and to ensure that the Nepali airspace is safe.

 
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