Rescue teams in Nepal continued their efforts through Sunday night after a tragic air crash near Pokhara. With 68 of the 72 people listed on the manifest safely rescued, authorities redirected their focus to the river banks of the Seti River where residual search operations continued and some bodies were visible as reported by Kathman Du Post.
According to Tek Bahadur, the district administrator of Kaski, security personnel and local communities, including members of the Nepal Army, the Military Police Force, and the Nepal Police, coordinated to recover any remaining victims and bring them to safety for identification and formal procedures. Local teams worked alongside volunteers to extend the reach of the search across the riverine terrain, which proved challenging due to the geography and weather conditions in the area.
Residents noted that the recovered remains were transported to the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences for forensic examination. After the autopsy, authorities planned to return the bodies to their families for proper burial rituals. A hearse and an ambulance were reportedly on standby to transfer unclaimed or unidentified remains to Kathmandu, as indicated by the reporting in the local press.
Rescue operations resumed later, even as the airline’s own statements cast doubt on there being any survivors or ongoing critical injuries. Those updates prompted cautious scrutiny from rescue services, as officials sought to verify claims and ensure accurate, timely information for families and the public alike.
The incident prompted national mourning plans, with the government declaring a day of remembrance in the coming week to honor those who lost their lives in the worst plane disaster in the country’s recent memory. The announcement underscored the scale of the tragedy and the impact on communities across Nepal as investigators worked to determine the sequence of events leading to the crash.
The flight had departed Kathmandu at 10:33 a.m. local time, bound for Pokhara, when it encountered trouble during the approach to Pokhara International Airport. Initial assessments indicated the aircraft crashed into the Seti River valley, an area characterized by steep terrain and rapid changes in weather that can complicate rescue efforts and hamper immediate search operations.
According to the flight manifest, 72 people were aboard the aircraft at the time of departure, including 68 passengers, two pilots, and two flight attendants. Among the passengers were a mix of nationals and foreign travelers, including citizens from India, Russia, Korea, and additional travelers from Ireland, Argentina, and France, as confirmed by airport authorities to the ANI bureau. This diverse passenger list underscored the international reach of the flight and the broad impact of the tragedy on multiple communities and families around the world.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, together with Interior Minister Rabi Lamichhane, visited the Tribhuvan International Airport coordination center in Kathmandu. There they directed all relevant government agencies to intensify recovery efforts and to coordinate with local authorities to ensure that every possible body is recovered, identified, and repatriated with sensitivity and transparency. The leadership’s involvement signaled the seriousness with which the government is treating the incident, while officials work to provide updates to families and to manage the logistical and bureaucratic aspects of the recovery operation.