A plane carrying 72 passengers crashed in Nepal Sunday morning, leaving 68 dead.
A Yeti airlines flight carrying 68 passengers and 4 crew was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara in central Nepal when for unknown reasons, the plane crashed, according to the New York Post. Video footage captured by a local resident appears to show the plane flying low over homes in Pokhara before it turned sharply and disappeared from view. The sound of an explosion and people screaming can be heard as the video continues. (RELATED: Horrifying Footage Shows Small Plane Crash Into Truck Full Of People On California Highway Before Bursting Into Flames)
Even more harrowing is the footage that followed, showing a fiery wreck, billowing smoke. Local resident Bishnu Tiwari, rushed to the scene in an attempt to help, but his effort proved fruitless. “The flames were so hot that we couldn’t go near the wreckage. I heard a man crying for help, but because of the flames and smoke we couldn’t help him,” he said according to the outlet.
Dozens of people have died after a plane crash in Nepal.
Here, Sky News speaks to an aviation expert about what may have caused the incident.
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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called the incident “tragic” and has already set up a panel to investigate what went wrong. Dahal also deployed the “full force” of the Nepali army and police for rescue and recovery operations, the New York Post reported.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives in the plane crash in Pokhara, Nepal. pic.twitter.com/Gk2ygKmm8L
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Anju Khatiwada, co-captain of the 27 minutes flight, was seconds away from realizing her dream of becoming a full-fledged airline captain when tragedy struck. She was killed in the crash, according to India Today.
This crash marks the deadliest in Nepal in over 30 years when in 1992 a Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed into a hill, killing all 167 passengers onboard.