KATHMANDU — According to officials, searchers on Monday discovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from a passenger jet that crashed, killing at least 68 people in Nepal's worst aviation disaster in 30 years.
In order to find out what caused the Yeti Airlines ATR 72 aircraft, which was carrying 72 passengers, to crash on Sunday just before landing in the tourist destination of Pokhara, investigators may examine the data from the recorders.
According to the manufacturer's advice, both recorders will be submitted for analysis and were in good condition, Kathmandu airport official Teknath Sitaula told Reuters on Monday.
More than 24 hours after the disaster, rescuers were scouring a river valley for passengers who are still missing while battling foggy weather and low visibility. The bodies of 68 people have been found.
Rescuers were seen in Reuters video from the accident scene inspecting the burnt airplane wreckage close to the gorge.
The aircraft was carrying 57 Nepalis, five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, one passenger each from Argentina, Ireland, Australia, and France on a planned journey from Kathmandu to Pokhara, the entry point to the picturesque Annapurna mountain range.
Ajay K.C., a police officer in Pokhara reported that the search and rescue effort, which was halted on Sunday due to darkness, had been picked back up.
He said that a hospital had received the other 63 bodies. Rescue operations are being hampered by the weather, according to a Pokhara airport official, but clouds are supposed to lift later in the day.
A representative at Pokhara airport told Reuters on Monday that the pilot requested a different runway minutes before the plane was scheduled to arrive on Sunday.
The government must divide the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), which oversees airport management in addition to airline regulation, as a result of Sunday's tragedy.
According to experts, several causes frequently contribute to aviation mishaps, and investigations can last months or more.
Anju Khatiwada, the co-pilot of the unfortunate aircraft that crashed on Sunday, lost her spouse Dipak Pokhrel in a related accident in 2006. Although Khatiwada's bones have not been found, it is assumed that she is dead.
A commission has been established in Nepal to look into the accident and recommend ways to prevent such occurrences in the future, and the country on Monday designated a day of national mourning.
