'Nepal Plane Crash' with 2 Koreans Onboard... "68 Dead" (Comprehensive Report 2)

On the 15th (local time), according to Yeti Airlines and Nepal authorities, an ATR72 aircraft belonging to Nepal's Yeti Airlines carrying 72 passengers crashed. It is reported that there were also 2 Koreans on the passenger list of the aircraft. The photo shows rescue workers gathered at Pokhara, Nepal, where the wreckage of the crashed aircraft remains. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] On the 15th (local time) in Nepal, an aircraft carrying 72 people, including 2 Koreans, crashed, resulting in more than 68 fatalities among the passengers.

According to local media and foreign news sources, at around 10:30 a.m. that day, a Nepal Yeti Airlines ATR72 aircraft departing from Kathmandu, Nepal, crashed near a river close to the airport in Pokhara, a resort city in the Kaski region, the destination.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal confirmed that more than 68 people died in the accident. The aircraft had a total of 72 people on board, including 68 passengers and 4 crew members. It was reported that about 15 foreigners were on the passenger list, including 2 Koreans, 5 Indians, and 4 Russians.

It has not been confirmed whether Koreans were among the deceased. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "According to the confirmation by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal through the airline and related organizations, it has been confirmed that 2 Koreans were on board," and activated the Overseas Korean Protection Countermeasures Headquarters. A consular cooperation officer from the Korean community was urgently dispatched to the accident site, and consular or diplomatic officials are expected to arrive soon. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also known to be maintaining close communication with the families of the passengers.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Establish a rapid contact system for the families of our nationals presumed to be on the crashed aircraft," and urged, "Provide thorough explanations of the local situation to the families and offer maximum consular assistance as needed."

Nepalese authorities deployed rescue helicopters to the crash site, and hundreds of rescue workers are searching the mountain slope crash area. Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal convened an emergency cabinet meeting. Krishna Bandari, spokesperson for the Nepalese army, explained, "The plane was shattered into pieces," and "We are recovering the bodies of the deceased."

Pokhara is a resort city located about 140 km northwest of Kathmandu. It is notorious for its difficult takeoffs and landings. Pokhara’s location is a highland only a few dozen kilometers away from the 8,000-meter-high Himalayan peaks such as Annapurna. Aircraft must fly acrobatically between several high mountains during takeoff and landing.

In May last year, a small passenger plane belonging to Nepal Tara Air crashed while heading from Pokhara to Jomsom in the Mustang region, about 20 minutes away. All 22 passengers and crew on board died in that accident. In 2018, a passenger plane operated by US-Bangla Airlines, a Bangladeshi airline, crashed near Kathmandu Airport, killing 51 of the 71 passengers on board. In 1992, a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane crashed near Kathmandu, resulting in 167 deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.