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Video on plane shows doomed passengers' final moments as crash kills 68

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Video on plane shows doomed passengers' final moments as crash kills 68
Video on plane shows doomed passengers' final moments as crash kills 68

HORROR video shows passengers on board a plane moments before it crashed in a fireball killing at least 68 people.

The black box and cockpit voice recorder from the doomed Yeti Airlines ATR 72 have now been recovered after the plane smashed into a gorge in Pokhara in the Himalayas.

Sonu Jaiswal was live streaming as the plane came into land eiqetidqqihtprw
Sonu Jaiswal was live streaming as the plane came into land
The ATR-72 veered sharply left before it slammed into the ground
The ATR-72 veered sharply left before it slammed into the groundCredit: @alihashem_tv/Twitter
Sonu was on holiday with his friends and they all died in the crash
Sonu was on holiday with his friends and they all died in the crash
His phone kept broadcasting and captured the moment the plane crashed and was engulfed by fire
His phone kept broadcasting and captured the moment the plane crashed and was engulfed by fire
Rescuers at the scene as smoke and flames pour from the wreckage
Rescuers at the scene as smoke and flames pour from the wreckageCredit: Getty
Authorities said 68 people have been confirmed dead
Authorities said 68 people have been confirmed deadCredit: AP
The plane's black box and cockpit voice recorder have been retrieved
The plane's black box and cockpit voice recorder have been retrievedCredit: AP
A passenger's haunting final picture taken an hour before the crash
A passenger's haunting final picture taken an hour before the crashCredit: East2West

Teknath Sitaula, a Kathmandu Airport official, said both devices are in "good condition."

Data from the recorders may help investigators determine the cause of the crash.

Harrowing footage shows a group of five friends on holiday laughing on a Facebook live stream as the plane comes into land at an airport in Nepal.

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On board was Sonu Jaiswal, 29, who was heading with four friends to a paragliding holiday. They were all reported among the dead.

Footage shows him filming out of the window while one of his friends can be heard saying "it's a lot of fun" as the rooftops of the city can be seen below.

The landing seems routine until suddenly the screen turns orange and screams are heard as the cabin appears to shake.

The distressing video - which we are not showing in full - then shows the moment of impact and the immediate aftermath.

Sonu's phone keeps broadcasting as crashing noises are heard and then the cabin is consumed by fire.

Sonu's cousin Rajat Jaiswal said: "Sonu went live on Facebook after boarding the flight to Pokhara.

"The live-streaming showed Sonu and his friends in a good mood, but then flames appeared before the streaming stopped ."

Khum Bahadur Chhetri, a local resident, said he watched from the roof of his house as the flight approached.

"I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then suddenly it nosedived and it went into the gorge," Chhetri said.

Another local who rushed to the crash site to help, Bishnu Tiwari, the rescue efforts were set back as a raging fire engulfed the aircraft.

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He said: "The flames were so hot that we couldn't go near the wreckage. I heard a man crying for help, but because of the flames and smoke we couldn't help him."

Local official Tek Bahadur said the chances of finding any survivors were "nil".

The accident is small Himalayan country's worst crash in nearly five years - and there are fears the already horrific death toll will rise.

Hundreds of rescue workers continued to scour the hillside site where the plane flying from the capital Kathmandu, went down.

Some 68 passengers and four crew are understood to have been on board the plane when it crashed at around 10.50am local time.

Those on board included five Indians, four Russians and one Irish, two South Korean, one Australian, one French and one Argentine national.

The first one of the dead has been named as travel blogger Elena Banduro, 33.

She posted excitedly about her latest trip showing her on a plane with the message in English: "Go to Nepal".

Her social media was today full of messages of condolences, and she was described as “the brightest, kindest soul we knew”.

The tragic passenger from Moscow who was flying to meet her partner Maxim, had told her family shortly before the flight that she was pregnant.

Her heartbroken sister Ksenia said: "Last week Lena told her family the good news.

“She had done an ultrasound scan.  She could see the arms and legs of the baby, the outline. They were expecting a girl."

Another Russian victim, Viktoria Altunina, 34, a teacher from Rostov-on-Don, snapped a haunting final picture of queuing passengers one hour before the crash. 

She died alongside her husband Viktor Lygin, 38, and his cousin Yuri Lygin.

Australian Myron William Love, is also feared dead as he was among the 15 foreign nationals on board.

The man from Sydney, is a keen traveller, who loves surfing, cycling and photography, news.com.au reports.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted: "Incredibly sad news out of Nepal of a plane crashing with many passengers on board. 

"The government is aware an Australian was on board and is urgently seeking information from Nepalese officials on the welfare of that passenger."

Pokhara is Nepal's second-largest city and is tucked under the picturesque Annapurna mountain range.

The journey there from the capital Kathmandu is one of the country's most popular tourist routes, with many preferring a short flight to a six-hour-long drive.

Soldiers are assisting rescuers in searching the vast crash scene as relatives of those on board desperately await news.

Local television showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds of people gathered around the wreckage of the aircraft.

An aviation expert has suggested a stall in mid-air might be the reason behind the tragic crash.

Speaking to Today, Professor Ron Bartsch said an optical illusion may have tricked the pilot into thinking the plane was travelling faster than it actually was, causing a stall.

He explained: "Aircraft require air to fly in and the air is more rarefied at about 800 metres elevation there.

"When you're going over the grounds, it may appear that you're going a lot faster over the ground than what you're going through the air.

"That's what caused a stall."

The expert noted the area was already very "tough" to fly in and added: "The runways are very, very challenging, some of the most challenging in the world."

The crash is Nepal's deadliest since March 2018, when a US-Bangla Dash 8 turboprop flight from Dhaka crashed on landing in Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 people on board, according to Aviation Safety Network.

The ATR72 is a widely used twin-engine turboprop plane manufactured by a joint venture of Airbus and Italy's Leonardo.

Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 planes, according to its website.

Air accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Everest, as the weather can change suddenly and make for hazardous conditions.

The European Union has banned Nepali airlines from its airspace since 2013, citing safety concerns.

The Yeti Airlines plane suddenly loses control
The Yeti Airlines plane suddenly loses controlCredit: @alihashem_tv/Twitter
Travel blogger Elena Banduro was named as one of the first victims of the crash
Travel blogger Elena Banduro was named as one of the first victims of the crashCredit: East2West
Elena had posted excitedly about her trip
Elena had posted excitedly about her tripCredit: East2West
Myron Love was also onboard the flight
Myron Love was also onboard the flightCredit: ABC
Locals watch the wreckage of the passenger plane being recovered
Locals watch the wreckage of the passenger plane being recoveredCredit: AP
Crowds gather at the crash site
Crowds gather at the crash siteCredit: Reuters
Rescue teams work at the wreckage of the plane
Rescue teams work at the wreckage of the planeCredit: EPA

Tariq Tahir

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