KATHMANDU, Nepal
Nepal observed a day of mourning on Monday for the victims of the nation's deadliest aviation disaster in three decades, with 68 people confirmed killed in the plane crash and hopes of finding survivors described as "nil".
The Yeti Airlines ATR 72 plummeted into a steep gorge, smashed into pieces and
burst into flames with 72 people on board as it approached the central city of
Pokhara on Sunday, police said.
Soldiers used ropes and
stretchers to retrieve bodies from the 300-metre (1,000-foot) deep ravine,
resuming their search on Monday after fog forced a pause in rescue efforts.
"We have collected 68
bodies so far. We are searching for four more bodies... We pray for a miracle.
But, the hope of finding anyone alive is nil," said Tek Bahadur KC, chief
district officer in Taksi.
Searchers on Monday found both
the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, officials said, saying the
black boxes were in good condition.
Debris from the twin-engine
turboprop airliner was strewn across the crash site, including the mangled
remains of its wings and passenger seats.
Rescue workers were rushed
there after the crash, and tried to put out the raging fires that were sending
thick black smoke into the sky.
There were 15 foreigners on
board, including five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, and one
passenger each from Argentina, Australia, France and Ireland, Yeti spokesman
Sudarshan Bartaula told AFP.
The rest were Nepalis.
It was unclear if anyone on
the ground was injured.
"ATR specialists are
fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer."
No comments:
Post a Comment