Shawdesh desk:

Hopes of finding any survivors after a plane with 72 people on board crashed in Nepal are now ‘nil’, a senior local official said on Monday.

‘We have collected 68 bodies so far. We are searching for four more bodies… We pray for a miracle. But, the hope of finding anyone alive is nil,’ said Tek Bahadur KC, chief district officer in Taksi where the plane crashed on Sunday.

A local official had earlier said that ‘some survivors’ had been taken to hospital, but this was not confirmed  by the aircraft’s operator Yeti Airlines or other officials.

Yeti spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula told AFP that 15 foreigners were on board, including five Indians, four Russians and two South Koreans, with one passenger each from Argentina, Australia, France and Ireland. The rest were Nepalis.

The flight from Kathmandu slammed into the gorge between Pokhara’s domestic and brand new international airport on Sunday, shortly before 11:00am (0515 GMT).

An unverified clip shared on social media purportedly showed the plane flying low over a residential area before banking sharply to the left, followed by a loud explosion.