CNN
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Hundreds of emergency workers continued to search for the four missing men on Monday Fatal plane crash In Nepal, the dangers of air travel have once again been highlighted.
At least 68 of the 72 people on board were killed Yeti Airlines The plane crashed near the city of Pokhara on Sunday – the Himalayan nation’s worst air disaster in 30 years. According to data from the Aviation Safety Network, it is the third worst air crash in Nepal’s history.
Experts say conditions like bad weather, low visibility and hilly terrain all make Nepal’s reputation too dangerous for air travel.
The Eti Airlines flight was on its way from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara on Sunday when it lost contact with the control tower. According to the country’s Civil Aviation Authority, around 15 foreigners were on board.
The lakeside city of Pokhara is a popular tourist destination and gateway to the Himalayas. It serves as the starting point of the famous Annapurna Circuit trek which was visited by more than 181,000 foreigners in 2019.
A government team with the help of French authorities is now investigating the cause of the crash. The Eti Airlines plane is manufactured by ATR, an aerospace company headquartered in France.
Unstable weather patterns are not the only problem for flight operations. A step 2019 Security Report According to Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, the country’s “hostile terrain” is part of the “big challenge” facing pilots.
Nepal, a country of 29 million people, is home to 8 of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, and its beautiful rugged landscapes make it a popular tourist destination for trekkers.
But this terrain can be difficult to navigate from the air, especially during bad weather, and matters are made worse by the need to use small aircraft to access remote and mountainous parts of the country.
These challenges make aircraft with 19 seats or less more likely to crash, the Civil Aviation Authority report said.
Kathmandu is Nepal’s primary transport hub and many of these small flights depart from there.
The airport in the city of Lukla in northeastern Nepal is often referred to as the The most dangerous airport in the world. Known as the gateway to Everest, the airport’s runway is set on a cliff between the mountains and eventually drops straight into a chasm. It has witnessed several fatal accidents over the years including 2008 and 2019.
Lack of investment in aging aircraft only adds to the risks of flying.
In 2015, the International Civil Aviation Organization, United Nations, Priority was given to helping Nepal Through its Air Defense Enforcement Assistance Partnership. Two years later, ICAO and Nepal announced a partnership to address security concerns.
Although the country has made improvements in its safety standards in recent years, challenges remain.
In May 2022, Tara Air took off from Pokhara Hit a hill22 people were killed.
In early 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to Kathmandu Crashed on landing And a fire broke out, killing 51 of the 71 people on board.
And in 2016, a Tara Air flight crumbled Sunday when the missing plane was flying the same route. The incident involved a recently purchased twin Otter aircraft flying in clear conditions.
