NEW DELHI (AP) — Airplane passenger Sonu Jaiswal’s 90-second smartphone video began with the aircraft approaching the runway by flying over buildings and green fields over Pokhara, a Nepalese city in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Everything looked normal as Jaiswal’s livestream on Facebook shifted from the picturesque views seen from the plane’s window to fellow passengers who were laughing. Finally, Jaiswal, wearing a yellow sweater, turned the camera to himself and smiled.
Then it happened.
Warning: The following video contains graphic footage
The plane suddenly appeared to veer toward its left as Jaiswal’s smartphone briefly captured the cries of passengers. Within seconds the footage turned shaky and recorded the screeching sound of an engine. Toward the end of the video, huge flames and smoke took over the frame.
The Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu that plummeted into a gorge Sunday, killing all 72 on board, was co-piloted by Anju Khatiwada, who had pursued years of pilot training in the United States after her husband died in a 2006 plane crash while flying for the same airline. Her colleagues described her as a skilled pilot who was very motivated.
Yunish Gurung
Rescuers scour the crash site in the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Monday, Jan.16, 2023. The Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu that plummeted into a gorge Sunday killed at least 70 passengers out of the 72 on board. (AP Photo/Yunish Gurung)
The deaths of Khatiwada, 44, and Jaiswal, 25, are part of a deadly pattern in Nepal, a country that has seen a series of air crashes over the years, in part due to difficult terrain, bad weather and aging fleets.
On Tuesday, authorities began returning some identified bodies to family members and said they were sending the ATR 72-500 aircraft’s data recorder to France for analysis to determine what caused the crash.
Deepak Jaiswal via AP
This undated photo made available by Deepak Jaiswal shows Deepak's younger brother Sonu Jaiswal, 25, who died in an air crash in Nepal on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023.Â
In India’s Ghazipur city, nearly 430 kilometers (270 miles) south of the crash site in Nepal, Jaiswal’s family was distraught and still waiting to identify his body. His father, Rajendra Prasad Jaiswal, had boarded a car to Kathmandu on Monday evening and was expected to reach Nepal’s capital late Tuesday.
“It’s a tough wait,” said Jaiswal’s brother, Deepak Jaiswal.
The news of Jaiswal’s plane crashing in Pokhara reached his home barely minutes after the accident as news channels began broadcasting images of the aircraft’s mangled wreckage, still burning and billowing thick gray smoke, Deepak said.
Still, the family was not willing to trust the news, holding out hope for his survival.
By Sunday evening, however, it had become clear. Deepak, who confirmed the authenticity of Jaiswal’s livestream to The Associated Press, was among the first in his family to watch the video that had since gone viral on the internet.
“We couldn’t believe the news until we saw the video,” he said. “It was painful.”
Jaiswal, a father of three children, worked at a local liquor store in Alawalpur Afga village in Uttar Pradesh state’s Ghazipur district. Deepak said his brother had gone to Kathmandu to visit Pashupatinath temple — a Hindu shrine dedicated to the god Shiva — and pray for a son, before setting off to Pokhara for sightseeing along with three other friends.
“He was not just my brother,” Deepak said. “I have lost a friend in him.”
The tragedy was felt deeply in Nepal, where 53 passengers were locals.
Hundreds of relatives and friends of the victims consoled each other Tuesday at a local hospital. Families of some victims whose bodies have been identified prepared funerals for their loved ones.
Co-pilot Khatiwada’s colleagues, however, were still in disbelief.
“She was a very good pilot and very experienced,” Yeti Airlines spokesperson Pemba Sherpa said of Khatiwada.
Khatiwada began flying for Yeti Airlines in 2020 — four years after her husband, Dipak Pokhrel, died in a crash. He was flying a DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 plane for the same airline when it crashed in Nepal’s Jumla district and burst into flames, killing all nine people on board. Khatiwada later remarried.
Sherpa said Khatiwada was a “skilled pilot” with a “friendly nature” and had risen to the rank of captain after flying thousands of hours since joining the airline in 2010.
“We have lost our best,” Sherpa said.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the daily newspaper Kathmandu Post reports. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members.
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the daily newspaper Kathmandu Post reports. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
A woman cries as the body of a relative, victim of a plane crash, is brought to a hospital in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
A woman cries as the body of a relative, victim of a plane crash, is brought to a hospital in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the daily newspaper Kathmandu Post reports. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members.
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the daily newspaper Kathmandu Post reports. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Bikram Rai - stringer, AP
Relatives of a crashed passenger plane wail at Katmandhu airport, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the daily newspaper Kathmandu Post reports. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members.
Bikram Rai - stringer, AP
Relatives of a crashed passenger plane wail at Katmandhu airport, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the daily newspaper Kathmandu Post reports. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Krishna Mani Baral - stringer, AP
Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane as rescuers are scouring the crash site, in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A 72-seat Nepali passenger aircraft has crashed into a gorge while landing at a newly opened airport in the central resort town of Pokhara, killing at least 32 people.
Krishna Mani Baral - stringer, AP
Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane as rescuers are scouring the crash site, in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A 72-seat Nepali passenger aircraft has crashed into a gorge while landing at a newly opened airport in the central resort town of Pokhara, killing at least 32 people.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Krishna Mani Baral - stringer, AP
Nepalese rescue workers and civilians gather around the wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. Authorities in Nepal said 68 people have been confirmed dead after a regional passenger plane with 72 aboard crashed into a gorge while landing at a newly opened airport in the resort town of Pokhara. It's the country's deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
Krishna Mani Baral - stringer, AP
Nepalese rescue workers and civilians gather around the wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. Authorities in Nepal said 68 people have been confirmed dead after a regional passenger plane with 72 aboard crashed into a gorge while landing at a newly opened airport in the resort town of Pokhara. It's the country's deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Krishna Mani Baral - stringer, AP
Nepalese rescue workers and civilians gather around the wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. Authorities in Nepal said 68 people have been confirmed dead after a regional passenger plane with 72 aboard crashed into a gorge while landing at a newly opened airport in the resort town of Pokhara. It's the country's deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
Krishna Mani Baral - stringer, AP
Nepalese rescue workers and civilians gather around the wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. Authorities in Nepal said 68 people have been confirmed dead after a regional passenger plane with 72 aboard crashed into a gorge while landing at a newly opened airport in the resort town of Pokhara. It's the country's deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
Rescue workers recover the body of a victim of a passenger plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
Rescue workers recover the body of a victim of a passenger plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
Rescue workers recover the body of a victim of a passenger plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
Rescue workers recover the body of a victim of a passenger plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
People watch rescuers work at the site of plane crash in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
People watch rescuers work at the site of plane crash in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
People wait outside a hospital for news of relatives after a passenger plane crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
People wait outside a hospital for news of relatives after a passenger plane crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
A woman cries as the body of a relative, victim of a plane crash, is brought to a hospital in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
Yunish Gurung - stringer, AP
A woman cries as the body of a relative, victim of a plane crash, is brought to a hospital in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.
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68 dead, 4 missing after plane crashes in Nepal resort town
Ashish Puri - stringer, AP
Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the daily newspaper Kathmandu Post reports. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members.
Ashish Puri - stringer, AP
Locals watch the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan.15, 2023. A passenger plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the daily newspaper Kathmandu Post reports. The plane was carrying 68 passengers and four crew members.
