Nepal plane crash: Final moments of Yeti Airlines flight seen in video filmed by passenger
At least 71 people were killed when the ATR 72 aircraft crashed, making it Nepal's worst aviation disaster in 30 years.
Moments before Yeti Airlines flight 691 crashed, passenger Sonu Jaiswal filmed himself, the cabin of the aircraft and the view from his window. His camera continued recording as the plane crashed and burst into flames. (Screengrabs: Reuters/Sonu Jaiswal)
SINGAPORE: A video has emerged showing the final moments of Yeti Airlines flight 691, which crashed in Nepal on Sunday (Jan 15).
In the clip, passenger Sonu Jaiswal recorded himself, the cabin of the aircraft and the view from his window as the Kathmandu-Pokhara flight neared its end. His camera continued recording as the plane crashed and burst into flames.
The footage was livestreamed on Facebook, BBC reported.
The video, which is just under one minute and 40 seconds long, is initially uneventful, and passengers could be heard chatting in the background.
About one minute in, the camera begins to shake violently with the picture obscured as turbulence hits the plane.
Passengers begin to scream, and about five seconds later a loud crash and explosion are heard.
The camera refocuses shortly after, with a fire seen blazing around an unidentified object. The picture then blurs out before the video cuts off.
Reuters was able to confirm that the city seen from the plane in the video was Pokhara, as buildings matched satellite imagery.
Headrests seen in the video also carried the Yeti Airlines logo, and the configuration of the plane's wing corresponded with file imagery.
Reuters' version of the video cuts off before the turbulence begins.
Jaiswal was one of five Indian nationals on board the flight, according to the Hindustan Times.
At least 71 people were killed in the crash of the ATR 72 aircraft, making it Nepal's worst aviation disaster in 30 years.
One passenger remains missing as of late Tuesday afternoon, although a local official had said earlier that there is no chance of finding any survivors.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, but another video on social media shows the twin-propeller aircraft banking suddenly and sharply to the left as it nears Pokhara airport. A loud explosion follows.
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the aircraft, which may help investigators determine what caused it to crash in clear weather, were recovered on Monday.
