Nepal aircraft crash: French staff reaches Pokhara to help in investigation

A nine-member staff of consultants from France arrived right here on Tuesday to assist the Nepal authorities examine a aircraft crash, during which 71 individuals misplaced their lives.

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Jan 17, 2023 23:32 IST

Yeti Airlines’ 9N-ANC ATR-72 plane with 72 individuals on board, together with 5 Indians, crashed minutes earlier than touchdown on the financial institution of the Seti River in Pokhran on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

By Press Trust of India: A nine-member staff of consultants from France arrived right here on Tuesday to assist the Nepal authorities examine a aircraft crash during which 71 individuals misplaced their lives.

Yeti Airlines’ 9N-ANC ATR-72 plane with 72 individuals on board, together with 5 Indians, crashed minutes earlier than touchdown on the financial institution of the Seti River within the resort metropolis of Pokhara on Sunday. A complete of 68 passengers and 4 crew members had been on board the plane.

The Nepal authorities has shaped a five-member probe committee to analyze the crash. The probe panel headed by former aviation secretary Nagendra Ghimire has been requested to analyze the accident and submit its report inside 45 days.

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A senior official on the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, mentioned that the knowledgeable staff from the corporate that manufactures the ATR plane reached Kathmandu on Tuesday.

“The team has already reached Pokhara,” Joint Secretary Lamichhane told PTI.

The French team will assist the probe committee to investigate the matter. The committee has already started its investigation into the incident, he said.

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The ATR-72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR, which is a joint venture between French aerospace company Aerospatiale and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia.

The number “72” in its identify is derived from the plane’s typical normal seating capability of 72 passengers.

The crashed ATR-72 Nepalese passenger aircraft was beforehand utilized by the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owned by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, in keeping with Cirium Fleets information.

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It was the primary occasion that such a mannequin met with an accident in Nepal’s chequered aviation historical past.

Currently, solely Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines make use of ATR-72 plane in Nepal.

According to Nepal’s civil aviation physique, 914 individuals have died in air crashes within the nation for the reason that first catastrophe was recorded in August 1955.

The Yeti Airlines tragedy in Pokhara on Sunday is the 104th crash in Nepali skies and the third largest by way of casualties.

Posted By:

Raajnandini Mukherjee

Published On:

Jan 17, 2023