Plane crash in Nepal – At least 40 dead in passenger plane crash on landing as horror video captures final moments

AT LEAST 40 people have been killed in a horror plane crash when a passenger plane crashed on approach to Nepal.

The horror video captures the final moments of the Yeti Airlines ATR 72 as the plane appears to rock and loses control before hitting the ground in a ball of fire.

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It’s the tiny Himalayan country’s worst crash in nearly five years – and there are fears the already horrific death toll will rise.

Hundreds of rescue workers continued to search the slope where the plane from the capital Kathmandu crashed.

About 68 passengers and four crew members are said to have been on board the aircraft.

Soldiers are assisting rescue workers searching the massive crash site while relatives of those on board desperately await news.

Yeti Airlines spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula said: “10 foreign nationals including 2 infants were on board.

“On board were 53 Nepalese, 5 Indians, 4 Russians, 1 Irishman, 2 Koreans, 1 Argentinian and 1 Frenchman.”

According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the plane was 15 years old.

“The rescue operations are underway,” said Jagannath Niroula, spokesman for the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority. “Weather was clear.”

Local television showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds gathered around the plane’s wreckage.

The crash is Nepal’s deadliest since March 2018, when a US Bangla Dash 8 turboprop flight from Dhaka crashed on landing in Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 people on board, according to Aviation Safety Network.

The ATR72 is a widespread twin-engine turboprop aircraft manufactured by a joint venture between Airbus and Leonardo of Italy. Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 aircraft, according to its website.

Air accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, as the weather can change suddenly and create dangerous conditions.

Meanwhile, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency meeting.

“Not known yet if there are any survivors,” airline spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula told media.

Indian Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia described the incident as “extremely unfortunate”.

“The loss of life in a tragic plane crash in Nepal is extremely unfortunate. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the bereaved. Om Shanti,” he tweeted.

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