'Took out buried passengers', eyewitnesses recount Nepal plane crash

Deepak Shahi, an eyewitness to the Nepal plane crash on Sunday, said that he and two-three other people heard a loud sound and rushed to the crash site. Upon arrival, they saw that a plane had exploded.

"There was a loud sound, so I and two-three other people ran to the site where we saw that a plane had exploded," Shahi told ANI.

"We took some people to the hospital. Some people were buried under the plane and we took them out. There were also some dead bodies in the gorge. We took them out," Shahi added.

Another eyewitness Mahmood Khan said that he and his friend were at his house when they heard a loud sound. "We were at home when we heard a sound and rushed to the terrace. There we saw smoke and rushed to the accident site. We tried saving the people and took out some 35 bodies," said Khan.

An aircraft with 68 passengers and four crew members on board crashed in Nepal's Pokhara on Sunday. The plane was a 72-seater passenger aircraft.

Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority on Sunday said that 68 passengers on board the ATR-72 Yeti Airlines flight were confirmed dead.

The Kathmandu-Pokhara flight had 68 passengers, including five Indians, as well as four crew members.

The notice issued by Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority reads that the flight took off at around 10:30 am.

"Nepali Army, Police Force, Airport Rescue, and Fire Fighting and Nepal Police will be informed about the rescue operation. Total number 72 including crew female 25 male 30, standard, white. So far, the death toll is 68," the statement reads.

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. "We are deeply saddened by the crash of a plane carrying 72 passengers and crew members, including some Indians in Pokhara. We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. Our thoughts and prayers at this time are with all those affected by this tragedy," Shankar P Sharma, Nepal's ambassador to India, tweeted.

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.