Fears were growing last night for an Irishman onboard an aircraft that crashed in Nepal with the loss of at least 68 lives.
The Government said it is aware of reports Ruan Callum Crighton was a passenger on the Yeti Airlines jet, with officials on standby to provide consular help.
A spokesman said the Department of Foreign Affairs said: “We are aware of reports of the involvement of an Irish citizen in an airplane crash in Nepal and stand ready to provide consular assistance if requested.”
READ MORE: Passenger plane crashes in Nepal with Irish person onboard as distressing video shows last moments
Nepal’s aviation authority tweeted a list of the passengers who were on the ATR 73 including Mr Crighton although there were no other details about him. It said 53 of the passengers and all four crew members were Nepali.
Of the 15 foreign nationals on board five were Indian, four were Russian and two were Korean. The rest were individual citizens of Australia, Argentina, France and Ireland.
The aircraft had been flying from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara International Airport, which began operations only two weeks ago. The plane was last in contact with Pokhara airport at about 10.50 am local time, about 18 minutes after take-off.
It was filmed spinning in mid-air seconds before it crashed in the nearby Seti River Gorge. First responders from the Nepal Army and police departments were deployed to the crash site and are said to be carrying out a rescue and recovery operation.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash but an investigation has been launched.
Local resident Bishnu Tiwari, who rushed to the crash site near the Seti River to help search for bodies, said the rescue efforts were hampered by thick smoke and a raging fire.
Tiwari said: “The flames were so hot that we couldn’t go near the wreckage. I heard a man crying for help, but because of the flames and smoke we couldn’t help him.”
Yesterday, videos emerged on social media showing the extent of the horror crash showing smoke billowing from the crash site. The aircraft’s fuselage was split into multiple parts that were scattered down the gorge.
An unverified clip shared on social media purportedly showed the plane flying low over a residential area before banking sharply to the left, followed by a loud explosion.
Witness Arun Tamu, 44, was around 500 metres away and who posted a live video of the blazing wreckage on social media.
The former soldier told AFP: “I was walking when I heard a loud blast like a bomb went off. A few of us rushed to see if we can rescue anybody. I saw at least two women were breathing.”
Divya Dhakal told the BBC how she rushed to the crash site after seeing the aircraft plunge from the sky just after 11am.
She said: “By the time I was there the crash site was already crowded. There was huge smoke coming from the flames of the plane. And then helicopters came over in no time. The pilot tried his best to not hit civilisation or any home. There was a small space right beside the Seti River and the flight hit the ground in that space.”
It was unclear if anyone on the ground was injured. Search efforts for the 37 men, 25 women, three children and three infants were called off yesterday after dark and will resume today.
Firefighters carried bodies, some burnt beyond recognition, to a local hospital where grief-stricken relatives had assembled.
At Kathmandu airport, family members of those onboard appeared distraught as they were escorted in while they waited on further information of their loved ones. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who rushed to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, set up a panel to investigate the disaster.
He said: “The incident was tragic. The full force of the Nepali army, police has been deployed for rescue.”
Based in Kathmandu, Yeti Airlines was established in May 1998. According to AirlineRatings.com website, Yeti Airlines and its subsidiary Tara Air, have significant tragic crash records. Since 2004 Yeti Airlines has had four fatal accidents, including yesterday’s ATR 72 crash.
Tara Airlines Tara Air has had three fatal crashes aside from a combined five non-fatal incidents.
Both airlines fly in the very mountainous and treacherous Himalayas region. The European Union has banned airlines from Nepal from flying into the 27-nation bloc since 2013, citing weak safety standards.
In 2017, the International Civil Aviation Organization cited improvements in Nepal’s aviation sector, but Brussels has continued to demand administrative reforms before its policy is reversed.
According to data from the Aviation Safety Network, yesterday’s crash was the third deadliest crash in the Himalayan nation’s history.
The only incidents in which more people were killed took place in July and September 1992. Those crashes involved aircraft run by Thai Airways and Pakistan International airlines and left 113 and 167 people dead, respectively.
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