At least 44 killed in Nepal's worst air crash in nearly five years - Reuters

KATHMANDU, Jan 15 (Reuters) - At slightest 44 radical were killed connected Sunday erstwhile a home formation crashed successful Pokhara successful Nepal, an aviation authorization authoritative said, successful the tiny Himalayan country's worst clang successful astir 5 years.

Hundreds of rescue workers were scouring the hillside wherever the Yeti Airlines flight, carrying 72 radical from the superior Kathmandu, went down. The upwind was clear, said Jagannath Niroula, spokesperson for Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority.

"Thirty bodies person been recovered and sent to hospital," Niroula told Reuters. "Another 14 bodies are inactive lying astatine the clang tract and authorities are bringing successful a crane to determination them."

Local TV showed rescue workers scrambling astir breached sections of the aircraft. Some of the crushed adjacent the clang tract was scorched, with licks of flames visible.

"The level is burning," said constabulary authoritative Ajay K.C., adding that rescue workers were having trouble reaching the tract successful a gorge betwixt 2 hills adjacent the tourer town's airport.

The trade made interaction with the airdrome from Seti Gorge astatine 10:50 a.m. (0505 GMT), the aviation authorization said successful a statement. "Then it crashed."

"Half of the level is connected the hillside," said Arun Tamu, a section resident, who told Reuters helium reached the tract minutes aft the level went down. "The different fractional has fallen into the gorge of the Seti river."

Khum Bahadur Chhetri said helium watched from the extortion of his location arsenic the formation approached.

"I saw the level trembling, moving near and right, and past abruptly its chemoreceptor dived and it went into the gorge," Chhetri told Reuters, adding that section residents took 2 passengers to a hospital.

The authorities has acceptable up a sheet to analyse the origin of the clang and it is expected to study wrong 45 days, the concern minister, Bishnu Paudel, told reporters.

SERIES OF CRASHES

The clang is Nepal's deadliest since March 2018, erstwhile a US-Bangla Dash 8 turboprop formation from Dhaka crashed connected landing successful Kathmandu, sidesplitting 51 of the 71 radical connected board, according to Aviation Safety Network.

At slightest 309 radical person died since 2000 successful level oregon chopper crashes successful Nepal - location to 8 of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Everest - wherever abrupt upwind changes tin marque for hazardous conditions.

The European Union has banned Nepali airlines from its airspace since 2013, citing information concerns.

Those connected the twin-engine ATR 72 craft included 2 infants and 4 unit members, said hose spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula.

Passengers included 5 Indians, 4 Russians and 1 Irish, 2 South Korean, 1 Australian, 1 French and 1 Argentine national.

The ATR72 of European planemaker ATR is simply a wide utilized duplicate motor turboprop level manufactured by a associated task of Airbus (AIR.PA) and Italy's Leonardo. Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 planes, according to its website.

"ATR specialists are afloat engaged to enactment some the probe and the customer," the institution said connected Twitter, adding that its archetypal thoughts were for those affected, aft having been informed of the accident.

Airbus and Leonardo did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said connected Twitter the Yeti Airlines craft was 15 years aged and equipped with an aged transponder with unreliable data.

"We are downloading high-resolution information and verifying the information quality," it said.

On its website, Yeti describes itself arsenic a starring home carrier. Its fleet consists of six ATR 72-500s, including the 1 that crashed. It besides owns Tara Air, and the 2 unneurotic connection the "widest network" successful Nepal, the institution says.

Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Additional reporting by Jamie Freed; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal and Aditya Kalra; Editing by William Mallard

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