An Agni Air plane carrying 21 people crashed near Jomsom Airport today, leaving 15 dead.
The 9N AIG Dornier plane hit a hillside near Marfa, minutes before it would have landed, at 9:46am, 16 minutes after it had taken off from Pokhara. The right wing of the plane hit the hillside while the pilot was trying to redirect the plane to Pokhara again after detecting a technical fault in the plane.
Mustang CDO Laxmiraj Gautam said a Tara air plane and a chopper airlifted the injured to Pokhara after the crash. Just before the crash, the pilot had briefed Pokhara Airport that he was diverting the plane to Pokhara as he had detected some technical fault. The plane though ploughed into the hill, it did not catch fire, giving just about enough time for the survivors to escape.
Jomsom Airport, at an elevation of 8,880 feet (2,707 metres), is a treacherous high-altitude airfield and is considered to be one of the world’s most dangerous airstrips with mountainous terrain on the approach.
It was second deadly crash for Agni Air in less than two years. In August 2010, an Agni Air plane crashed in Shikharpur VDC of Makwanpur, killing all 14 people on board.
India saddened:-
KATHMANDU: India’s Minister for External Affairs SM Krishna on Monday said he was deeply saddened by the tragic air crash that left 15 people dead, including 13 Indian nationals, and six injured near Jomsom Airport. “I am deeply saddened to hear about the tragic air crash... I would like to convey my deep condolences to the families of all those who have lost their lives in this accident,” said Krishna in a statement. He also consoled the families of those who were killed in the crash. The government of Nepal had informed the Embassy of India in Kathmandu about the Indian nationals travelling in the plane immediately after the crash. In a statement issued in the afternoon, the Indian embassy said three of those who survived the crash were Indians.
KATHMANDU: India’s Minister for External Affairs SM Krishna on Monday said he was deeply saddened by the tragic air crash that left 15 people dead, including 13 Indian nationals, and six injured near Jomsom Airport. “I am deeply saddened to hear about the tragic air crash... I would like to convey my deep condolences to the families of all those who have lost their lives in this accident,” said Krishna in a statement. He also consoled the families of those who were killed in the crash. The government of Nepal had informed the Embassy of India in Kathmandu about the Indian nationals travelling in the plane immediately after the crash. In a statement issued in the afternoon, the Indian embassy said three of those who survived the crash were Indians.
Dead
• Mr K Mamanya (India)
• Mr S K Arora (India)
• Mr M Handa (India)
• Mrs M Arora (India)
• Ms R Handa (India)
• Mr K Arora (India)
• Ms T Sachdev (India)
• Ms G Sachdev (India)
• Mr Sanaim Sudhar (India)
• Mr G Raman (India)
• MS Latha Echambade (India)
• Mr Kumar (India)
• Mrs Kumar (India)
• Mr Prabhu Saran Pathak, Pilot (Nepal)
• Mr SD Maharjan, Co-pilot (Nepal)
Injured
• Ms Roshni Haiju, 32, Air Hostess (Nepal)
• Mr Andreas R, 30, (Denmark)
• Mrs Emily J, 29, (Denmark)
• Mr Tirumala Kidambi Sreekanth, 32, (India)
• Ms Tirumala Kidambi Sreevardhini, 9, (India)
• Ms Tirumala Kidambi Sreepada, 6, (India)
After Plane Crash:
This is what Jomsom airport looks like:
Source :
