No survivors in Nepal’s worst air disaster in 3 decades, 68 bodies retrieved so far

As the hours ticked by, hope faded for any survivors in the Yeti Airlines plane crash in Nepal.

The ATR-72 aircraft with 68 passengers and four crew members departed from Kathmandu and crashed near Pokhara International Airport on Sunday.

According to Kathmandu Post, rescuers have so far retrieved 68 bodies from the debris of the crash, while search for the remaining four is underway.

However, army personnel said rescue efforts have been hampered by the treacherous terrain, and had to be eventually called off at night. The search operation is scheduled to resume in the morning.

“We haven’t rescued anyone alive from the crash site,” said Nepal Army spokesperson Krishna Prasad Bhandari, as quoted by news agency ANI.

Bodies of those who died have been retrieved and taken to Gandaki Hospital for post mortem, an official from the district administration office said. Most of the bodies were so badly burnt that they are beyond identification, the official added.

According to an airport official, there were 15 foreign nationals among the passengers, including five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, one Australian, one French, one Argentinian, and one person from Ireland.