At least 16 people were killed on Sunday when an aircraft crashed in western Nepal, an army spokesman said, as hundreds of rescue workers scoured the hillside crash site.
“We expect to recover more bodies,” Krishna Bhandari told Reuters. “The plane has broken into pieces.”
There were 72 people on the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines, including two infants, four crew members and 10 foreign nationals, said airline spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula.
“We don’t know their nationalities,” he said. “We are trying to ascertain it.”
Local television showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds of people gathered around the wreckage of the aircraft.
Air accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, as the weather can change suddenly and make for hazardous conditions.
