January 15th, 2023, Kathmandu, Nepal had one of the deadliest plane crash in 30 years. To start off the aircraft that crashed was a twin-engine ATR 72-500 made by Yeti Airlines, with registration number 9N-ANC this plane had 72 people on the flight (four members of the plane’s crew and 68 passengers). The plane crashed in Nepal’s Pokhara hillside while in transit to Kathmandu. Sadly during this tragedy, at least 68 people died. It still remains unclear what caused the crash due to the fact there were decent weather conditions and no wind, but on Monday, January 16th, the black box of the aircraft was recovered.

According to thehindu.com, “The plane smashed into pieces and burst into flames after it plummeted into a gorge. The aircraft’s fuselage, mangled remains of wings, and passenger seats were strewn across the crash site. A witness, Diwas Bohora, who recorded footage of the plane’s descent said he saw the plane flying low before it suddenly veered to its left and crashed.”

This website also mentioned that some children were playing outside when the plane came down, but as they saw the plane they thought it was just a toy as the plane came closer they began to run away. One of the children said, “Suddenly, there was darkness all around. It looked like the aircraft’s tire would touch us as it fell.”

In addition, a resident told the associated press, “The flames were so hot that we couldn’t go near the wreckage. I heard a man crying for help, but because of the flames and smoke, we couldn’t help him.”

As said before there were 72 people on the flight, these people consisted of thirty-seven males, twenty-five women, and six children and/or infants. According to cnn.com civil aviation said 53 of the passengers were from Nepal, five were Indian, four were Russian, and two were Korean, the rest of the citizens on the flight were from a mix of Australia, Argentina, France, and Ireland.

The plane was in contact with Pokhara airport lastly at 10:50 a.m. in local time. The pilot contacted asking to change the runway according to a spokesperson for Pokhara Airport on January 16th, 2023. The spokesperson’s direct words according to cnn.com were, “The permission was granted. We don’t ask (why), whenever a pilot asks we give permission to change approach.”

As of now the Nepal Army and police departments’ first responders have gone to the crash site and are carrying out a search and rescue operation. Nepal’s Prime Minister Dahal made a tweet as his public reaction to this event stating, “I sincerely appeal to the security personnel, all agencies of the Nepal government, and the general public to start an effective rescue.” The spokesperson for the prime minister also stated that Monday, January 16th, 2023 would be declared a public holiday to grieve over the deaths of the victims. As for yeti airlines they have been said to be canceling all regular flights on January 16th in mourning for the dead as well. These are just a few things so we can take the time to honor the deaths that occurred on this dark day.