Experts from France’s accident investigation agency are due to arrive in Nepal on Tuesday to look into a plane crash that killed all 72 people on board, including one French person.
Rescuers have been trying to extract human remains from the deep gorge where the Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500 turboprop crashed as it approached the central city of Pokhara on Sunday.
The 68 passengers and four crew on board are believed to have died, including six children and 15 foreigners – five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, one French person, one Irish, one Australian and one Argentinean.
Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority said 69 bodies had been retrieved by early Tuesday, and the hospital has begun handing over bodies to grieving families.
Investigators have identified 41 bodies, and 22 are being handed over in Pokhara.
The other bodies are being brought to the capital, Kathmandu, for further investigation.
French investigators
The twin-propeller plane, made by France-based ATR, was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a gateway for religious pilgrims and trekkers, when it crashed shortly before 11am on Sunday.
The Civil Aviation Authority said the plane last made contact with the airport near Seti Gorge 10 minutes before it crashed.
A witness who recorded footage of the plane’s descent said it looked like a normal landing until the plane suddenly veered to the left. A loud explosion followed.
ATR is based in France and the plane's engines were manufactured in Canada by Pratt & Whitney Canada.
French and Canadian air accident investigators will participate in the investigation.
The black box flight data and cockpit voice recorders were recovered, and the Civil Aviation Authority said they will be handed over to investigators.
Bad aviation safety record
Nepal has some of the world's trickiest and most remote runways among the world’s tallest mountains, with difficult approaches and capricious weather.
Nepal's aviation industry has been plagued by poor safety due to insufficient training and maintenance.
The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns.
In 2017, the International Civil Aviation Organization cited improvements, but the EU continues to demand administrative reforms.
(with wires)
