Govt forms panel to probe plane crash

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, JANUARY 15The government has formed a five-member probe committee to
investigate Yeti Airlines plane crash near Pokhara Regional International Airport today
An emergency Cabinet meeting held today decided to form a panel under former government secretary Nagendra Ghimire to investigate the
accident and submit its report within 45 days, said government Spokesperson and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel.
Pokhara plane crash: 26 bodies identified
Bodies of deceased in Pokhara
plane crash taken to Gandaki Hospital for examination
Retired brigadier general of Nepali Army Deepak Prakash Bastola, retired Captain Sunil Thapa, and aviation repairing expert Ekraj Jung
Thapa are the members of the panel
Joint Secretary of Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Buddhisagar Lamichhane is the member -secretary of the probe panel.
The government also announced a public holiday tomorrow to mourn the loss of lives caused by the plane crash
"The Cabinet expresses profound sadness at the incident and condoles the death of those who lost their lives in the incident," Minister
Paudel said
He said the government had ordered technical check of all domestic planes
He said the government would implement the probe panel's report to prevent plane crashes in the future.The Pokhara bound NYT 691, 9N-ANC
plane of Yeti Airlines carrying 72 people, including 68 passengers and four crew members, crashed in a gorge near PRIA after it lost contact
with the airport tower at around 10.55am, according to a press release issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal
At least 68 of those on board are feared dead
This is the highest number of fatalities involving a domestic airlines flight.As of today, 104 aeroplane/ helicopter accidents have occurred
in Nepal killing more than 900 people.According to Aviation Safety Report-2022 published by the CAAN in November, 847 people were killed in
the past 103 aviation accidents, involving both single/multi-engine aircraft and helicopters.A version of this article appears in the print
on January 16, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com