Black boxes of Yeti Airlines flight found in wreckage

Colombo (News 1st) - The two flight data recorders, commonly known as black boxes, of the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal on Sunday (15th) killing all 72 on board, have been found and will soon be analysed, airport officials said.

There were no survivors from among the 72 people on board flight NYT691, a Yeti Airlines spokesman said. "No survivors in this crash. There are 72 people dead including crew members," airline spokesman Pemba Sherpa told United News of India.

Rescuers have so far recovered 68 bodies from the wreckage of the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed while en route from Kathmandu to Pokhara with 72 people on board. Thirty-five bodies have so far been identified.

Although the crash is within the region of Nepal's second largest city Pokhara, the terrain around the exact location of the crash has made it difficult for rescue workers, as it is in the gorge of the Seti River. Rescue operations were halted at dusk and resumed this morning.

The plane was piloted by a senior captain. The first officer was also highly experienced and was due to be promoted to captain after the doomed flight, the spokesman said.

The plane crashed between the city's old airport and its newer international airport. Hundreds of Nepali Army soldiers joined rescue efforts with airport officials and firefighters.

The 72 on board included 4 crew and 68 passengers. The passengers were 37 men, 25 women, three children and three infants. They included 15 foreigners - 5 Indians, 4 Russians, two South Koreans, and one each from Australia, Argentina, France and Ireland.

The aircraft was coming in to land at the new Pokhara International Airport, which was inaugurated just 14 days ago on January 1, 2023. The aircraft was an ATR-72 that was 15 years old. It was on a short half-hour flight from the capital to Pokhara, 130 km away.