(Trigger warning: The visuals may be disturbing. Viewer discretion advised.)
The ATR-72 Yeti Airlines aircraft with 68 passengers and four crew members, crashed into a river gorge at Nayagaun in Nepal on Sunday, 15 January, had five Indians on board.
At least 68 people have died in the crash, with all Indians on board confirmed dead. Their bodies are yet to be recovered.
The five Indian men have been identified by Yeti Airlines as:
Abhishek Kushwaha
Bishal Sharma
Anil Kumar Rajbhar
Sonu Jaiswal
Sanjaya Jaiswal
Sonu Jaiswal.
(Photo courtesy: Dharmendra Rajpoot)
Speaking to news agency PTI, district magistrate, Ghazipur, Aryaka Akhauri indicated that four of these men hailed from Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, and were on a vacation together.
Ajay Kumar Shah, a resident of Sarlahi district in southern Nepal, meanwhile, claimed that "all four were planning to enjoy paragliding in the lake city and tourist hub Pokhara," reported PTI.
A purported video of the plane crash also surfaced online on Sunday, with reports indicating that it was captured by Sonu Jaiswal while on board. It shows people seated inside the aircraft, before the video goes blurry, and screams can be overheard in the background.
However, The Quint has not verified the video independently.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences on Sunday, saying that he was pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal.
"Pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families," The Indian PM said in a tweet and tagged Nepalese Prime Minister, Prachanda.
What Happened?
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Yeti Airlines' 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am and crashed around 11 am.
Soon after, at least 68 people on board Yeti Airlines aircraft were confirmed dead, after the flight crashed into a river gorge in Nepal. This has been termed Nepal's deadliest air crash since 1992.
The Indian Embassy also confirmed that five Indians were among the 68 passengers.
There were ten foreigners on board the aircraft. Some of the passengers have been hospitalised, the airlines said.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)