Plane crash in Nepal kills at least 68 passengers

At least 68 people are confirmed to have been killed after a passenger plane crashed in the Pokhara region in Nepal.

"We have recovered 68 bodies so far and (we) have also sent some survivors to the hospital for treatment," Gurudatta Dhakal, the assistant chief official in Kaski district, told AFP.

The twin-engine aircraft, crashing near the Pokhara International Airport on Sunday, was carrying 72 people on board, including two infants, four crew members, and 10 foreign nationals, including five Indians, said Yeti Airlines spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula, adding that "we don't know right now if there are survivors."

The plane's wreckage was on fire and rescue workers were trying to put out the blaze, local official Gurudutta Dhakal said, adding that "responders have already reached there and trying to douse the fire. All agencies are now focused on first dousing the fire and rescuing the passengers."

"The loss of lives in a tragic plane crash in Nepal is extremely unfortunate. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the bereaved. Om Shanti," Nepal's Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, tweeted.

Footage shared on social media showed black smoke billowing into the sky, apparently from wreckage strewn across the crash site.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency cabinet meeting after the plane crash, a government statement said.

Nepal has some of the world's most remote and tricky runways, flanked by snow-capped peaks with approaches that pose a challenge even for accomplished pilots.

ME