68 Killed In Nepal Plane Crash As Aircraft Was Approaching Airport, Authorities Investigating

At least 68 people were killed after a Yeti Airlines ATR 72 aircraft with 72 people on board crashed in the city of Pokhara in Nepal on Sunday.

Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority said that this is the worst air crash in three decades in the Himalayan nation, reports Reuters. 

Sunday's crash is Nepal's deadliest since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300 crashed, killing all 167 people on board.

Pokhara Airport spokesman Anup Joshi said the aircraft crashed as it approached the airport. He added that the "plane cruised at 12,500 feet and was on a normal descent," and the weather was clear at the time of the crash.

The twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft was arriving from Kathmandu, located 125 miles west of Pokhara. 

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The aviation authority said that the plane contacted the airport while flying over Seti Gorge at 10:50 a.m. local time and was approaching for a landing when the crash occurred. 

The Nepal government has set up a panel to investigate the cause of the crash. The report is expected to be out within 45 days. 

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he was "deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident."

Photo: Jon Newman on flickr