Eds: Updates numbers of injured, adds quotes =
Kathmandu (dpa)- An eight-month-old baby survived a plane crash in Nepal on Thursday, along with the mother and the rest of the passengers on board, police confirmed.
A Nepal Airlines plane crashed into the Kali Gandaki River as it tried to land in the north-western town of Jomsom.
“Three crew members were seriously hurt because they fell into the river when the plane crashed and had to be pulled out,” said Jomsom police officer Dharmaraj Giri.
“An eight-month old baby and the mother were safe and we managed to rescue them along with the others in the aircraft.”
Giri said there were eight Japanese tourists on board the plane, which had 22 people in all. The rest were Nepali citizens.
The flight from Pokhara, 150 kilometres north-west of Kathmandu, fell into the river next to the airport after it hit a strong gust of wind while landing, according to former airlines officer, Chandra Mohan Gauchan, who helped with rescue efforts.
The rescued passengers were being flown to Pokhara hospitals by another domestic airline.
Last May, 15 people were killed when a flight from Pokhara landing at Jomsom airport crashed.
Jomsom is a popular trekking destination for its dramatic landscape. Muktinath temple in Jomsom is also an important Hindu pilgrimage site and draws many tourists.
Nepal has a poor flight safety record due to its mountainous terrain and low visibility during the monsoon. Located on steep mountains, most of the airports in the northern region of the country have little more than narrow airstrips.
dpa pt cds
Kathmandu (dpa)- An eight-month-old baby survived a plane crash in Nepal on Thursday, along with the mother and the rest of the passengers on board, police confirmed.
A Nepal Airlines plane crashed into the Kali Gandaki River as it tried to land in the north-western town of Jomsom.
“Three crew members were seriously hurt because they fell into the river when the plane crashed and had to be pulled out,” said Jomsom police officer Dharmaraj Giri.
“An eight-month old baby and the mother were safe and we managed to rescue them along with the others in the aircraft.”
Giri said there were eight Japanese tourists on board the plane, which had 22 people in all. The rest were Nepali citizens.
The flight from Pokhara, 150 kilometres north-west of Kathmandu, fell into the river next to the airport after it hit a strong gust of wind while landing, according to former airlines officer, Chandra Mohan Gauchan, who helped with rescue efforts.
The rescued passengers were being flown to Pokhara hospitals by another domestic airline.
Last May, 15 people were killed when a flight from Pokhara landing at Jomsom airport crashed.
Jomsom is a popular trekking destination for its dramatic landscape. Muktinath temple in Jomsom is also an important Hindu pilgrimage site and draws many tourists.
Nepal has a poor flight safety record due to its mountainous terrain and low visibility during the monsoon. Located on steep mountains, most of the airports in the northern region of the country have little more than narrow airstrips.
dpa pt cds
No comments:
Post a Comment