nepal plane crash In another incident of plane crash, a Nepalese passenger plane with 72 people on board crashed on Sunday while landing at Pokhara airport. There were a total of 68 passengers and four crew members.
As per the latest reports, at least 36 people have been killed and many others have been injured. According to Nepali media, there were 11 foreigners also in this ill-fated flight.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said Yeti Airlines 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu at 10.33 am. It further added that the plane crashed on the banks of Seti river while landing at Pokhara airport. Pictures and videos posted on social media platforms showed plumes of smoke rising from the crash site.
Despite recent developments in Nepal’s air industry, which transports foreign trekkers and climbers as well as products and people to remote locations, it has a dismal safety record. Poor safety has long been a problem in Nepal’s aviation sector as a result of inadequate maintenance and training.
In addition, Nepal has some of the most difficult and remote runways in the world, posing a challenge even to experienced pilots. These runways are surrounded by snow-capped peaks. The Himalayan country is prone to plane crashes as the weather in the mountains changes frequently.
As per reports, Nepal had landed its first aircraft in 1949 and since then the country has seen several accidents in which hundreds of lives have been lost.
Have a look at some of the major plane crashes in Nepal:
- 1992 PIA Airbus A300 crash: The country witnessed the deadliest air crash in 1992, when a PIA Airbus A300 crashed at Bhattendanda in Lalitpur. 167 people lost their lives in the accident.
- 2000 Twin-Otter crash: At least 25 people were killed in a Twin-Otter crash involving Royal Nepal Airlines in Dadeldhura. The incident happened in 2000.
- 2006 Shree Air flight crash: All 24 people on board the Shree Air plane lost their lives when the plane crashed in Taplejung, eastern part of Nepal. Those on board were traveling to participate in the WWF Nepal event in 2006.
- 2010 Tara Air Twin Otter Crash: In December 2010, a Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter flying from Lamidanda to Kathmandu crashed shortly after takeoff. Three crew members were among the 22 passengers killed.
- 2012 Agni Air Dornier crash: It was one of the deadliest aviation accidents in the history of the Himalayan country. Agni Air’s Dornier 228 crashed near Jomsom airport while on its way from Pokhara to Jomsom. At least 15 of the 21 people on board were killed, including both pilots.
- 2014 Twin Otter plane crash: A total of 13 bodies were found at the site where the Twin Otter aircraft owned by Nepal Airlines crashed in 2014. A small town in Arghakhachi district in southern Nepal.
- 2018 US-Bangla Airlines flight crash: On March 12, 2018, US-Bangla Airlines flew a 76-seater Bombardier Q400 from Dhaka to Kathmandu. The crashed plane crashed while landing at Tribhuvan International Airport. In this accident, 51 of the 71 people on board the plane were killed.
- 2022 Twin Beaver plane crash: A Canadian-built turboprop twin Otter 9N-AET aircraft crashed, killing all 22 on board. The plane had four Indian, two German and 13 Nepali passengers besides a three-member Nepalese crew when it crashed minutes after taking off from the tourist city of Pokhara on May 29, 2022.
Last year, Nepal also tightened flight permit rules for airlines, making clear weather mandatory for the entire route, after preliminary investigations indicated bad weather was the main cause of several accidents in the country.
In Nepal, being a mountainous country, weather conditions often fluctuate and it is difficult to operate flights in the mountainous region without a proper weather forecasting system.
(with inputs from agencies)