4 of 5 Indians on board plane that crashed in Nepal hailed from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh

PTI, Jan 16, 2023, 8:22 AM IST

Four of the five Indians feared killed in a plane crash in Nepal on Sunday hailed from Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

At least 68 people were killed when a Yeti Airlines passenger plane with 72 people onboard, including five Indians, crashed into a river gorge while landing at the newly-opened airport in central Nepal’s resort city of Pokhara on Sunday.

There is no information about any survivor so far, an airline spokesperson said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the deaths and said officials have been directed to coordinate with the Ministry of External affairs to bring the mortal remains of the deceased to the state.

Ghazipur District Magistrate Aryaka Akhauri told PTI over phone that the administration has reach out to the affected families.

”Our sub-divisional magistrate and other officials are meeting them. We are also in touch with the embassy…. We will do the needful after the recovery of bodies,” she said.

The four people from Ghazipur district were identified as Sonu Jaiswal, Anil Rajbhar, Abhishek Kushwaha and Vishal Sharma.

Sharma belonged to Alawalpur Chatti village in the Badesar area of the district, Jaiswal had houses in Chak Jainab and Alawalpur Chatti but was currently living in Sarnath, a police spokesperson said.

Rajbhar was a resident of Chak Jainab in the Badesar area and Kushwaha of Dharwa in the Nonhara area of Ghazipur, he said.

Asked about the fifth Indian in the plane, who was identified as Sanjay Jaiswal, the police spokesperson said he might have his roots in Ghazipur but it could not be confirmed yet.

According to available information, he was living in Kathmandu, the police spokesperson added.

In a tweet in Hindi, the chief minister said, ”The plane crash in Nepal is very sad. Humble tribute to all the people including Indian citizens who were killed. My condolences are with the bereaved families. May Lord Shri Ram give place to the departed souls at his holy feet and speedy recovery to the injured.” ”Officials have been instructed to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs to make arrangements to bring the mortal remains of the deceased people of Uttar Pradesh to the state,” the chief minister said in another tweet. A relative of Sonu Jaiswal said he had gone to pay obeisance at the famed Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu after his wish for a son was fulfilled around six months ago.

Jaiswal has two daughters and he took a vow to visit the Lord Pashupatinath Temple if he had a son, his relative and Chak Jainab village head Vijay Jaiswal told PTI.

”Sonu, along with his three friends, had gone to Nepal on January 10. His main purpose was to pay obeisance to Lord Pashupatinath as his wish to have a son, now six months old, has been fulfilled. But the fate had something else in store for him,” said a visibly emotional Vijay Jaiswal.

Sonu Jaiswal ran a beer shop in the district.