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Gut-wrenching video shows plane moments before fatal Nepal crash killing 68

Moments after an aircraft crashed in Nepal Sunday morning, killing at least 68 of the 72 passengers aboard, gut-wrenching footage showed the plane engulfed in flames, and black smoke billowing above the wreckage.

Clips of the horrifying aftermath posted online showed the wreckage still ablaze as rescue workers recovered bodies from a gorge the plane crashed into while landing at a newly opened airport in the resort town of Pokhara.

The chilling images showed scores of rescue workers, Nepali soldiers and onlookers gathered at the site of the crash — the Himalayan country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.

Other harrowing clips posted on Twitter showed a plane flying at a dangerously low altitude over a residential area turning sharply left before a loud explosion.

Flight operator Yeti Airlines confirmed there were 72 people aboard – 68 passengers and four crew. Among the passengers were 15 foreign nationals, including one Australian, one French, one Argentinian, four Russians, five Indians, two South Koreans and one person from Ireland. Two infants were also on board, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Bishnu Tiwari, who lives near the crash site, rushed to the scene to help search for bodies. Thick smoke and flames that engulfed the aircraft hampered rescue efforts, 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,” Tiwari said.

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Rescuers carry the body of a victim who died in a plane crash.
Rescuers carry the body of a victim who died in the plane crash.AFP via Getty Images
A general view of people gathered after the plane crash.
At least 68 of the 72 passengers aboard the plane were killed in the crash. Naresh Giri via REUTERS
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The wreckage of a crashed plan.
Thick smoke and flames that engulfed the plane.AFP via Getty Images
Rescue teams work at the crash site.
Rescue teams work at the crash site.Bijaya Neupane/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The wreckage at the crash site.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.Bijaya Neupane/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the plane was flying from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara in central Nepal when it crashed. It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.

Dahal, who rushed to the airport after the crash, has set up a panel to investigate the grim accident’s cause.

“The incident was tragic. The full force of the Nepali army, police has been deployed for rescue,” he said.

Aircraft wreckage at the crash site.
The crash is Nepal’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades. REUTERS
Nepalese rescue workers and civilians gather around the wreckage of a passenger plane.
Hundreds of rescue workers gathered to recover bodies from the plane. AP

Weather can change suddenly in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, that can make air travel difficult.

Sunday’s crash is Nepal’s deadliest since 1992, when all 167 passengers aboard a Pakistan International Airlines flight were killed when the plane crashed into a hill. There have been 42 fatal plane crashes in Nepal since 1946, according to the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety database.

With Post wires