Nepal plane crash: 67 killed in mishap, including five Indians
Kathmandu: At least 67 of the 72 people onboard the Yeti Airline ATR-72 aircraft from Kathmandu to Pokhara died as the plane crashed in Pokhara on Sunday morning.
The plane carried 68 passengers as well as four crew members. There were 15 foreign nationals, including six children, were on board. 53 Nepali, 5 Indian, 4 Russian, 2 Koreans, 1 Argentinian, and one each from Ireland, Australia, and France were in the plane, the airlines said in a statement.
Police officer A K Chhetri has said that 31 bodies were taken to hospitals, while 36 passengers’ bodies were found in the gorge where the plane crashed, reports NDTV.
Nepali journalist Dilip Thapa has said that rescue operators are struggling due to the fire at the accident site.
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda called an emergency Cabinet meeting and the Nepal government has formed a five-member commission to probe the crash.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the flight took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:33 am on Sunday. The plane was about to land at the Pokhara airport, when it crashed into a gorge on the bank of River Seti and also caught fire.
The plane crashed about 20 minutes after take-off. The flight time between the two cities is 25 minutes, suggesting that the plane might have crashed during descent.
The airline spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula has said that there is no information regarding survivors yet.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia condoled the loss of lives in the plane crash.
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Waqf Bill anti-secular, will snatch rights of Muslims: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday described the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as “anti-secular”, claiming that it would snatch the rights of Muslims.
Banerjee, speaking in the assembly, also said the Centre did not consult with states over the matter.
“The bill is anti-federal and anti-secular; it is a deliberate attempt to malign a particular section. It will snatch the rights of Muslims... The Centre did not consult with us on the Waqf Bill,” she said.
The chief minister added that “if any religion was attacked”, she would wholeheartedly condemn it.
Opposition parties have stridently criticised the amendments proposed by the bill in the existing Waqf Act, alleging that they violate the religious rights of Muslims.
The ruling BJP has asserted that the amendments will bring transparency in the functioning of the Waqf boards and make them accountable.
A parliamentary committee has been constituted to scrutinise the contentious bill.
