Two Americans and two permanent residents living in the United States were among the 72 people who died after a plane crashed in Nepal over the weekend, the State Department said.
Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashed minutes before landing on Sunday in a tragedy that left no survivors.
«We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic Yeti aircraft over the weekend that killed 72 people, including two US citizens and two lawful permanent residents,» State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a news conference Wednesday. .
«Our thoughts are with the families of those on board,» Price said. «The United States stands ready to support Nepal in any way we can.»
Price did not identify or provide further details about the two US citizens and permanent residents who died in the crash.
The plane was en route to the popular tourist spot of Pokhara after departing Nepal’s capital Kathmandu for a journey of approximately 27 minutes when the crash occurred.
Dozens of Nepali nationals were killed, along with foreign nationals from countries including India, Russia, South Korea, Argentina, Australia, Ireland and France, aviation officials said in a statement. declaration.
Nepal observed a day of national mourning on Monday to honor the victims of the accident. A panel was also being organized to investigate the disaster and how to prevent future tragedies.
On Wednesday, the French Embassy in Nepal saying France sent a team of aviation experts to assist the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority at the crash site.
Sunday’s crash was the deadliest Nepal has seen since 1992, when all 167 people on board a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when the plane hit a hill while trying to land in Kathmandu.
Since the year 2000, nearly 350 people have been killed in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal.