NEPALI HOSPITAL STAFF have been handing over bodies to grieving families today after a plane with 72 people on board crashed, the country’s worst aviation disaster in three decades.

The Yeti Airlines flight with 68 passengers and four crew plummeted into a steep gorge, smashed into pieces and burst into flames as it approached the central city of Pokhara on Sunday.

All those on board, including six children, are believed to have died.

Rescuers have been working through the wreckage in the deep gorge. 70 bodies had been retrieved by early today, police official AK Chhetri told AFP. Another senior official told AFP yesterday that the hope of finding anyone alive was “nil”.

“We retrieved one body last night. But it was three pieces. We are not sure whether it’s three bodies or one body. It will be confirmed only after DNA test,” he said.

“The search (for) the missing two other bodies has now resumed,” Chhetri said.

Drones were being used and the search had been expanded to a radius of two to three kilometres.

Up to 10 bodies were transferred by army truck from Pokhara hospital to the airport ready to be airlifted back to the capital, Kathmandu.

Another three were handed over to grieving families in Pokhara, with others due to follow.

The ATR 72 was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a gateway for religious pilgrims and trekkers, when it crashed shortly before 11 am (5.15 GMT).

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The cause is not yet known but a video on social media showed the twin-propeller aircraft banking suddenly and sharply to the left as it neared Pokhara airport. A loud explosion followed.

Experts told AFP it was unclear from the clip whether human error or a mechanical malfunction was to blame.

The black box from the plane, made by France-based ATR, has not yet been found.

Experts from the French accident investigation agency are due to arrive in Nepal today.

© AFP 2022