At least 68 killed in Nepal plane crash. The plane was carrying 68 passengers including 15 foreign nationals - 5 #Indians, 4 #Russians, 2 #SouthKoreans, one each from #Ireland, #Australia, #Argentina and #France.

"At least 68 people have been killed after a 72-seat passenger aircraft crashed in Pokhara, a resort town in central Nepal, authorities have confirmed. It's the country's deadliest airplane accident in three decades. 

The Nepali passenger aircraft crashed into a gorge while landing at a newly opened airport. 

At the crash site, rescuers used ropes to pull out bodies from the wreckage, parts of which were hanging over the edge of the gorge. Some bodies, burned beyond recognition, were carried by firefighters to hospitals, where grief-stricken relatives had assembled. 

It was not immediately clear what caused the plane to crash. 

A witness to the crash said he saw the aircraft spinning violently in the air after it began to attempt a landing, watching from the terrace of his house. Gaurav Gurung said the plane fell nose-first towards its left and then crashed into the gorge.

“The plane caught fire after the crash. There was smoke everywhere,” Gurung said. 

The aviation authority said the aircraft last made contact with the airport from near Seti Gorge at 10.50 am before crashing. 

Nepal Civil Aviation Authority spokesman, Jagannath Niroula said the weather was clear. 

The plane was carrying 68 passengers including 15 foreign nationals, as well as four crew members, Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.

The foreigners included five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, and one each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France. 

A spokesman said the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs was aware of reports that an Irish citizen was among the passengers on board." 

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