Search teams recover flight data and voice recorders from Nepal crash site
Cami Mondeaux
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Search teams have recovered the flight data and voice recorders connected to the passenger plane that crashed while landing at a newly opened airport in Nepal on Sunday, according to officials.
Rescuers sifted through the remaining debris inside the 984-foot-deep gorge where the plane plummeted in what investigators believe is the country’s deadliest plane crash in 30 years. At least 69 of the 72 people on board were killed in the crash, with three who are still missing. Officials believe the remaining three are also dead, according to the Associated Press.
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The flight recorders that were recovered from the scene will be handed over to investigators, according to officials. It’s unclear what caused the crash.
Several of the passengers on the flight were traveling to Pokhara, a small resort town located near the Annapurna Circuit, a popular hiking trail in the Himalayas.
The plane last made contact with the airport, which opened only two weeks ago, from near Seti Gorge, which is roughly 2.4 miles from Pokhara. Video footage taken by a witness outside the plane showed the aircraft descending before suddenly veering to the left.
“I saw that, and I was shocked,” Diwas Bohora told the Associated Press. “I thought that today everything will be finished here after it crashes — I will also be dead.”
After the plane crashed, red flames erupted from the aircraft as the ground shook.
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“Seeing that scene, I was scared,” he added.
At least 41 of the bodies have been identified and will be transferred to family members after officials complete post-mortem reports.