Hundreds of emergency personnel continued a search and recovery effort in Nepal on Monday, following a catastrophic plane accident that underlined the perils of air travel in a nation that is frequently referred to as one of the riskiest places to fly.
When a Yeti Airlines flight crashed in Pokhara on Sunday, at least 68 of the 72 persons on board were dead.
Plane crash in Nepal, crazy how it’s hard to survive this pic.twitter.com/wEhRRkfLds
— PEACE ADVOCATE (@DangbanaManager) January 16, 2023
Four other people are still missing, but Kaski District Police Chief Superintendent Ajay K.C. warned Monday that the chances of finding survivors were “very low” as workers used a crane to remove remains from the canyon.
The collision is the Himalayan country’s biggest flying catastrophe in 30 years. According to the Aviation Safety Network, it is also the third-worst aviation disaster in Nepal’s history.
According to experts, poor weather, low visibility, and hilly terrain all contribute to Nepal’s reputation as a notoriously risky aviation destination.
The Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara was nearly done when it lost communication with a control tower on Sunday. According to the country’s civil aviation authorities, 15 foreign nationals were aboard.
Pokhara, a lakeside city, is a major tourist destination and the Himalayan gateway. It is the beginning point for the famed Annapurna Circuit hiking path, with over 181,000 international visitors in 2019.
With the cooperation of French officials, a government committee is currently probing the reason of the disaster. The Yeti Airlines aircraft was built by the French aerospace firm ATR.
Officials said the plane’s black box, which captures flight data, was located on Monday and will be turned over to the civil aviation authorities.
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. @cmprachanda @PM_nepal_
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 15, 2023
‘Hostile topography’
The unpredictable weather patterns aren’t the only issue for aviation operations. The country’s “difficult geography” is also part of the “great challenge” facing pilots, according to a 2019 safety assessment from Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority.
Nepal has eight of the world’s fourteen tallest mountains, including Everest, and its picturesque rocky terrain make it a favourite tourist destination for hikers.
However, this terrain may be difficult to manoeuvre from the air, especially in poor weather, and matters are worse by the necessity to employ tiny planes to visit the country’s more remote and hilly areas.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority research, aircraft with 19 seats or less are more likely to be involved in an accident due to these problems.
Many of these tiny planes depart from Kathmandu, Nepal’s principal transit hub.
The airport at Lukla, Nepal, is frequently referred to as the world’s most perilous airport. The airport’s runway, known as the “Gateway to Everest,” is built on a cliffside between mountains, plummeting straight into an abyss at the end. It has experienced a number of deadly collisions throughout the years, most recently in 2008.
A lack of investment in aged aeroplanes merely increases the dangers of flying.
Through its Aviation Safety Implementation Assistance Partnership, the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations body, prioritised assisting Nepal in 2015. Two years later, the ICAO and Nepal established a collaboration to address safety problems.
While the country’s safety regulations have improved in recent years, issues persist.
A Tara Air flight from Pokhara crashed into a mountain in May 2022, killing 22 passengers.
A US-Bangla Airlines flight from Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to Kathmandu crashed and caught fire in early 2018, killing 51 of the 71 persons on board.
In addition, a Tara Air flight crashed in 2016 while following the same route as the plane lost Sunday. In that occasion, a freshly purchased Twin Otter aircraft was flying in clear weather.
F A Q
Why are there so many plane crashes in Nepal?
| Ans :- According to experts, poor weather, low visibility, and hilly terrain all contribute to Nepal’s reputation as a notoriously risky aviation destination. |
How many planes have crashed in Nepal?
| Ans :- The nation also contains some of the most isolated and difficult runways in the world, with approaches surrounded by high mountains that test even experienced pilots. According to the Aviation Safety database, 27 tragic aviation crashes have occurred in Nepal during the previous three decades, killing over 600 persons in total. |
What is the main cause of accident in Nepal?
| Ans :- The majority of traffic accidents in Nepal are caused by excessive speed. |
How many people died in the Nepal plane crash?
| Ans :- A government official said Sunday that at least 68 people were killed when an aeroplane crashed in the city of Pokhara in central Nepal, the country’s worst plane disaster in more than 30 years. |