At Least 16 Killed in Plane Crash in Nepal

Kathmandu, January 15 (QNA) - At least 16 people were killed after an aircraft carrying 72 people crashed in Nepal on Sunday.
The plane was flying from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara, a bustling tourist town about 200 km west of Kathmandu.
There were 72 people on the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Nepals Yeti Airlines, including two infants, four crew members and 10 foreign nationals, said airline spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula.
Local television showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds of people gathered around the wreckage of the aircraft.
"The plane is burning," said police official Ajay K.C., adding that rescue workers were having difficulty reaching the site in a gorge between two hills near the tourist towns airport.
The craft made contact with the airport from Seti Gorge at 10:50 a.m. local time, the aviation authority said in a statement. "Then it crashed." Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency cabinet meeting after the plane crash.
The crash is Nepals 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.
In May, a plane owned by Tara Air crashed less than 20 minutes after taking off from Pokhara, headed to Jomsom. (QNA)