Nepal plane crash: Briton among dozens who died

Image source, Empics

Image caption, Rescuers gathered at the site of the crash

A British man is among the passengers who died in a plane crash in Nepal on Sunday.

The person was previously described as Irish by Nepal authorities, but was understood to be traveling on a UK passport.

He has not yet been formally named by authorities.

There were 72 passengers and crew aboard the Yeti Airlines that crashed near the tourist town of Pokhara. There are not believed to be any survivors.

A spokesman for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that an individual indicated in reports as being Irish is a UK national, and that the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FDCO) was providing consular support.

An FCDO spokesman said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Nepal and are in contact with the local authorities."

Sunday's incident - which occurred on a flight from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara, in central Nepal - is the country's deadliest plane crash in 30 years.

A local official said the jet's pilot did not report "anything untoward" as the plane approached the airport.

Anup Joshi said that the "mountains were clear and visibility was good", adding there was a light wind and "no issue with weather".

Video caption, Video from the ground appears to show the plane moments before it crashed

Mobile phone footage showed the plane rolling sharply as it approached the runway. It then hit the ground in the gorge of the Seti River, just over a kilometre from the airport.

Officials have said the voice and black box flight recorders have been recovered.

The government has set up a panel to investigate the cause of the disaster and the prime minister declared Monday a national day of mourning.