On a clear Sunday morning in January, a twin-engine Yeti Airlines ATR 72 carrying 72 people fell into a gorge as it neared Pokhara, the Himalayan tourist city where so many travellers pause on their way to the mountains. By Monday, at least 68 lives had been counted in the wreckage, and the search for four others continued in the cold depths of the gorge. Nepal, which knows its mountains and their weather well, now turns to the two recorders recovered from the debris, hoping that their silent data will explain what no visible storm could. It is a reminder of how much of human flight rests on t
Nepal Plane Crash: Both Black Boxes Recovered as Passenger Video Captures Final Moments
At least 68 people, including foreign nationals and two infants, were killed, and four remain missing after the crash near Pokhara.
Four people were still unaccounted for more than 24 hours after the crash.
Mark
Why are the black boxes such a big deal here?
Mimi
The weather was clear and the plane was close to landing. Nothing visible explains the crash, so the recorders may be the only way to know what happened in the cockpit.
Mark
Officials say they're in good condition. How far can we take that?
Luke
Only as far as the quote goes. Teknath Sitaula said they looked good from the outside. That's not a statement about whether the data is intact.
Mark
There was also an early report of just one box being found.
Mimi
Yes, ANI first reported one, and it wasn't clear which. Later, an airport official confirmed both.
Mark
And the video from the plane?
Mimi
It reportedly shows passengers smiling, then shaking, shouting, a thud and flames. It's a harrowing record of how sudden it was.
Luke
Note the word reportedly. It's attributed to Sonu Jaiswal, and the identification rests largely on a man who says he's his brother. It doesn't tell us the cause.
Mark
What's still unknown?
Luke
The cause, the fate of the four missing, and whether the recorders yield usable data. None of that is settled.
Mimi
And families like Myron Love's are waiting on consular confirmation before saying anything.
Il Polso
- A plane that flew in clear weather fell from the sky just before landing, and no storm offers an easy answer.
- Rescuers rappelled into a 300-metre gorge through cloud and poor visibility, racing darkness and fading hope for four missing people.
- Both black boxes were pulled from the wreckage, and investigators now hold the best chance of learning what happened in the final moments.
- Nepal has declared a national day of mourning, Yeti Airlines has grounded its flights for the day, and a prime minister's inquiry panel has been set up.
- Families abroad wait by phones for consulate confirmation, as a livestream that was meant to show a happy journey has become a grim record.
On a clear Sunday morning in January, a twin-engine Yeti Airlines ATR 72 carrying 72 people fell into a gorge as it neared Pokhara, the Himalayan tourist city where so many travellers pause on their way to the mountains. By Monday, at least 68 lives had been counted in the wreckage, and the search for four others continued in the cold depths of the gorge. Nepal, which knows its mountains and their weather well, now turns to the two recorders recovered from the debris, hoping that their silent data will explain what no visible storm could. It is a reminder of how much of human flight rests on trust in machines that speak only when someone listens.
On Monday morning, rescuers in Nepal lowered themselves 300 metres into a gorge to resume a search that darkness had halted the night before. They brought out two more bodies and, for investigators, the most important prize of all: both flight recorders from the wreckage of a Yeti Airlines plane.
The twin-engine ATR 72 had left Kathmandu on Sunday with 72 people aboard. It came down on approach to Pokhara, a tourist city, in clear weather. The Civil Aviation Authority said the aircraft last made contact from near Seti Gorge at 10.50am. By Monday, at least 68 people were confirmed dead, and four remained unaccounted for more than a day later.
The passengers included two infants and a number of foreign nationals. Among the dead was Elena Banduro, a 33-year-old Russian travel blogger whose online pages now fill with condolences; she had once urged her followers to go to Nepal. An Australian surfer, Myron William Love, was among those whose families were holding onto hope, though they would wait for the consulate to confirm.
A livestream broadcast by a passenger, reportedly Sonu Jaiswal, showed people smiling at the windows as the plane passed over houses, until the camera shook, the footage went black, and flames filled the frame. His brother said the group had been in good spirits right up to the end.
Nepal began a national day of mourning, and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal visited the airport and set up a panel to investigate. Yeti Airlines cancelled its flights for the day and offered its apologies. The recorders now pass to investigators, and the search for the four missing goes on.
On Monday morning, rescuers in Nepal rappelled down a gorge 300 metres (984 feet) deep to resume a search that darkness had halted the night before. By the time they finished, they had pulled out two more bodies and, more importantly for investigators, both flight recorders from the wreckage of a Yeti Airlines plane.
The aircraft, a twin-engine ATR 72, had left Kathmandu on Sunday carrying 72 people: 68 passengers and four crew. It crashed on approach to Pokhara, a tourist city, in clear weather. Airline spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula told The Kathmandu Post that the plane came down between the old airport and the new Pokhara international airport. Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority said the aircraft last made contact with the airport from near Seti Gorge at 10.50am before it crashed.
By Monday, at least 68 people were confirmed dead, and almost all of the bodies had been recovered. Four people were still unaccounted for more than 24 hours after the crash. Pokhara police official Ajay KC told Reuters the teams would bring out the remaining bodies from the gorge and keep looking for the four missing. Rescuers worked in cloudy weather with poor visibility.
The recorders were the main development of the day. Kathmandu airport officials confirmed that both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder had been found. An early report, citing an airport official speaking to ANI, had mentioned only one box, without saying which. Official Teknath Sitaula said both units were in good condition, adding that they looked good from the outside. Their data may help investigators establish why the plane went down just before landing, in conditions that offered no obvious explanation, and what happened aboard in the final moments.
The passengers included two infants and a number of foreigners. There were 57 Nepalis, five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, and one person each from Argentina, Ireland, Australia and France. Among the dead was Elena Banduro, a 33-year-old Russian travel blogger who had posted online about her latest trip to Nepal. "Go to Nepal," she once wrote in a social media message, and her pages are now filled with condolences. The other three Russians killed were named as Viktoria Altunina, Yuri Lugin and Viktor Lagin. The family of Myron William Love, an Australian surfer and avid traveller, was holding out hope that he was among the four missing, the Daily Mail reported. A relative said the family would say nothing until the consulate had confirmed a body.
A video widely shared since the crash was broadcast live on Facebook by a passenger, reportedly Sonu Jaiswal, an Indian national. It shows passengers smiling and looking out of the windows as the plane passes over houses, with the Yeti Airlines logo and a Nepalese insurance advertisement visible on a tray. Then the camera begins to shake, passengers shout, and the footage goes black with a loud thud before flames fill the frame. A man identifying himself as Jaiswal's brother, Rajat Jaiswal, told the Times of India that Sonu, 29, was aboard. He said the livestream showed Sonu and his companions in a happy mood until flames suddenly appeared and the stream stopped.
Nepal began a national day of mourning after what is its deadliest air accident in three decades. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal went to the airport after the crash and set up a panel to investigate. He called the incident tragic and said the full force of the Nepali army and police had been deployed. Yeti Airlines cancelled its flights for the day in mourning for those who died, apologised for any inconvenience, and said emergency and rescue flights would continue, with normal service to resume Monday.
The recorders now go to investigators, and the gorge search for four missing people continues.
Citazioni salienti
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are in a good condition now; they look good from outside.— Teknath Sitaula, Kathmandu airport official
The full force of the Nepali army, police has been deployed for rescue.— Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Yahoo Singapore News ↗
Transportation