NEW DELHI/SEOUL– Two South Koreans were confirmed to have been aboard a passenger aircraft that crashed in a resort town in Nepal on Sunday, and the Seoul government is working to figure out their fate while extending necessary support for their families, the foreign ministry said.
The two South Koreans were among 68 passengers aboard the Yeti Airlines flight that crashed near Pokhara International Airport at around 10:30 a.m. (local time) after flying from Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu. There were also four crew members on the ill-fated aircraft.
A total of 68 bodies were recovered from the site, according to foreign media reports, with some saying that all the 72 people were killed, citing an airline spokesperson.
“Two South Koreans were confirmed to have been aboard the aircraft as our embassy in Nepal learned the fact from the airline and related agencies,” the ministry said in a release.
The ministry set up an overseas Koreans protection task force headed by Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon to handle the case, and dispatched local embassy officials to the site for responses.
“We are working to swiftly confirm whether the South Koreans were alive in close cooperation with the embassy and the government of Nepal, and will do our best in supporting families of those suffering damage and taking necessary steps,” it added.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered the ministry to quickly learn if any South Koreans suffered damage and to provide necessary assistance to the families of those on the crashed aircraft, according to his office.
The Nepalese authorities called off search operations for the day due to darkness, saying they will resume on Monday, according to new reports.
The passengers also include 53 Nepalese, five Indians, four Russians and one each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France.
There was no immediate indication of what caused the crash, as the weather had been clear. The authorities in the Himalayan country set up a special commission to figure out the cause, with a result report expected in more than a month, media reports said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency