There were 72 people on board: 68 passengers and four crew members.
Photo: REUTERS
The ATR 72 turboprop passenger plane of the Nepalese airline Yeti Airlines, which was flying from the capital Kathmandu to the western city of Pokhara, crashed on the morning of January 15, just a couple of kilometers from the destination airport. There were 72 people on board: 68 passengers and four crew members.
According to updated data, 53 citizens of Nepal, 5 citizens of India, four Russians, two with Korean passports, one French, one Argentine, one Irish and one Australian were registered for the flight.
It was initially reported that everyone on the plane was killed. At the scene of the tragedy, 29 bodies have already been found. However, later there was information that during the rescue efforts they managed to find some survivors. We are talking about four Nepalis who are in critical condition. They were taken to the nearest hospital. If this information is correct, then we can talk about a miracle: during the fall, the plane exploded and fell into several pieces, which immediately engulfed in flames. Some passengers may have been thrown from the cabin by the blast wave, saving them from instant death.
The names of the four Russians have not yet been announced. However, the Russian ambassador to Nepal, Alexei Novikov, confirmed his death. “Unfortunately, four citizens of the Russian Federation died. We are in constant contact with the Nepali authorities and will provide all necessary assistance to the relatives of the dead Russians, ”he told TASS.
Four passengers survive horrific plane crash in Nepal
Photo: REUTERS
According to some reports, among them could be a travel blogger from Russia, Elena B. Before the tragedy, she posted a photo on the social network, where she wrote that she was going to Nepal.
The causes of the accident have not yet been established. In the video that was uploaded online, it can be seen that the descending plane suddenly lost speed, began to roll to the left wing, and then fell. An eyewitness to the accident, our compatriot Alexander Kovalev, told the NTV channel: “The plane was landing, it was going very low. And somehow began to waste. Both engines were running, there was no fire. Everything worked.”
Other eyewitnesses from among the locals claim that the pilot, realizing that the liner was doomed, directed it himself away from the city blocks, towards the gorge of the Seti River, and if it had delayed “a few more seconds The plane could have crashed into the old Pokhara airport, where there is now a bustling market.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari in connection with the crash of a passenger plane. This was reported on the Kremlin website. “I ask you to convey the words of sincere condolences and support to the families and friends of those who died in this terrible plane crash,” the telegram reads.
