Modi ‘pained’ by tragic air crash in Nepal
FIVE Indians were on board the ill-fated Yeti Airlines plane that crashed in Nepal’s Pokhara on Sunday (15) morning, the Himalayan state’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed in a tweet.
At least 68 people were killed in the disaster. The ATR 72 aircraft, which was carrying 72 people, including 15 foreigners, fell into a river gorge while landing in Pokhara, one of the south Asian country’s major tourist destinations. The flight was going from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to Pokhara.
Of the five Indians who lost their lives, four were from Ghazipur district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh which borders Nepal.
They were identified as Abhishek Kushwaha, Vishal Sharma, Anil Kumar Rajbhar, and Sonu Jaiswal - all residents of Alawalpur Village of Ghazipur district.
The plane reportedly crashed on the bank of the Seti river located between the old and new airports around 20 minutes after taking off, suggesting that it might have been on the descent.
Apart from the Indians, the deceased foreigners included four Russians, two South Koreans, and one passenger each from Argentina, Australia, France, and Ireland, Yeti spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula told AFP.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths. In a tweet in which he tagged his Nepalese counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda, who recently became the prime minister, Modi said, ‘Pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. @cmprachanda @PM_nepal_’
Prachanda also tweeted about the accident saying he was ‘deeply saddened’.
Indian aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also condoled the deaths.
The Indian Embassy in Nepal said that it was in touch with local authorities and monitoring the situation.
Nepal observed a day of mourning on Monday (16).