Nepal immersed in grief after plane crash, envoy calls incident unfortunate

By Ashoke Raj
New Delhi [India], January 15 (ANI): Calling the Nepal plane crash "unfortunate", Nepal ambassador to India Shankar Sharma on Sunday expressed his deep sorrow at the death of 68 people, including at least 5 Indians.
An ATR-72 Yeti Airlines flight had taken off from Kathmandu to Pokhara on Sunday morning and the plane crashed before landing at Pokhara.
"This is very unfortunate. We have already expressed our condolences. There were 5 Indians on the aircraft as per the press release shared by the airlines but details are yet to arrive," Shankar P Sharma, Nepal Ambassador to India told ANI.

Replying to a question whether all Indian families were informed by the Nepal Government, the envoy said, "Kathmandu is in touch with the family concerned and will update accordingly," envoy Shankar Prasad told ANI.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, the total death toll has risen to 68.
"Death toll in a plane crash at Nepal's Pokhara airport rises to 68," Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority said.
An aircraft, carrying 68 passengers and 4 crew members, crashed at Pokhara International Airport in Nepal today.
The Government of Nepal has declared a national holiday tomorrow to mourn the deaths of the people on board the Yeti plane crash today.
Indian leaders also conveyed their condolences on the incident. Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed their grief.
The Indian embassy informed that it was in contact with the local authorities.
The India embassy helpline numbers -- Diwakar Sharma: +977-9851107021 for Kathmandu and Lt Col Shashank Tripathi: +977-9856037699 for the Pokhara region -- to help the kin of the deceased Indian passengers.
Meanwhile, the Nepal government declared a day of national mourning tomorrow. The government has also announced that a five-member committee will be formed to investigate the crash.
Newly elected Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane were scheduled to visit Pokhara after the crash but now, the plans have been canceled according to Dahal's Chief Personal Secretary Ramesh Malla.
Further, the Prime Minister directed Home Ministry, security personnel, and all the government agencies to carry out immediate rescue and relief operations. (ANI)