Plane crashes in Himalayas in northern Nepal, killing 15 and injuring 6
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Photo courtesy of AFP |
A plane crashed into a mountain in the Himalayas while trying to land at an airport in northern Nepal on Monday, killing 15 people and injuring six, some critically.
It was carrying two pilots and a flight attendant — all Nepalese —
along with 16 Indians and two Danish citizens, both of whom survived,
officials said.
Television footage showed the Danes being taken inside a hospital in
the nearby city of Pokhara, the man being led on foot and the woman
crying in pain as she was carried on a stretcher.
It broke into pieces but did not catch fire. Sharma said an initial investigation indicated the Dornier aircraft, which belonged to the local Agni Air company, might have had technical problems.
Rescue was swift because the plane crashed just few meters (yards) from an army camp at Jomsom.
The Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet said it spoke to the Danish passengers by phone at the hospital and identified them as Emilie Joergensen and Andreas Rasch.
"We were thrown around. The seats were unfastened and we were squeezed between seats and bodies," it quoted Joergensen as saying.
She said they had to climb over "hands and arms" to get out of the plane.
"I think it was easy for us to get out because we sat in the back and were closest to the exit," Joergensen said.
She said they were on their way to Jomsom where they planned to go trekking.
The Jomsom airport is a gateway to a popular destination for trekkers and for Hindu pilgrims on their way to the revered Muktinath temple. It is about 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of Kathmandu.
Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai expressed his condolences over the deaths.
News story courtesy of:
Binaj Gurubacharya, The Canadian Press
and
Jan M. Olsen, Associated Press in Copenhagen
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Photo courtesy of Krishnamani Baral |
REST in Peace!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sanjib.
DeleteSo sad to hear that! I know we have no control over many situations or accidents (like this). But still, we should take a lot of care esp during traveling! One wish for you, take care on your travels!
ReplyDeleteOftentimes, accident happens without warning. For the ones that can be avoided, pracautionary measures should be observed.
DeleteIn travelling, one should do a research on what to expect on the destination. Should be aware of the do's and dont's. But, anything can happen at the wrong time in the wrong place.
Thanks for your wishes Ric. I appreciate that.