A 90-second smartphone video began capturing the approach of an aircraft flying over green fields and buildings in the foothills of the Himalayas, as it prepared to land on the runway in the Nepalese city of Pokhara. The passenger, Sonu Jaiswal, recorded the footage.
Jaiswal, wearing a yellow sweater, finally smiled and turned to the camera. He shifted his views from the picturesque scenes seen from the plane window to his Facebook livestream, where everything looked normal as he laughed with his fellow passengers.
And then, it occurred.
The video captured the smoke and flames engulfing the massive frame, as the engine made a screeching sound towards the end. The footage turned shaky and recorded the seconds as the plane veered suddenly towards its left, while passengers’ cries were briefly captured on Jaiswal’s smartphone.
Her colleagues described her as a highly skilled and motivated pilot. After her husband’s death in a plane crash in 2006, Anju Khatiwada, who had pursued years of pilot training in the United States, co-piloted for the same airline. On Sunday, the flight from Kathmandu, operated by Yeti Airlines, tragically crashed into a gorge, resulting in the death of all 72 people on board.
Jaiswal, 25, and Khatiwada, 44, are part of a deadly pattern in Nepal, where a country has seen a series of air crashes due to aging fleets, bad weather, and difficult terrain resulting in deaths.
On Tuesday, authorities stated that the crash prompted an analysis to determine the data recorded by the ATR 72-500 aircraft in France. They also mentioned that some of the bodies were identified, and the process of returning the family members began.
On Tuesday evening, Rajendra Prasad Jaiswal’s father, who had traveled by car to Kathmandu the previous evening, was anticipated to arrive in Nepal’s capital. Jaiswal’s relatives in Ghazipur city, located approximately 430 kilometers (270 miles) to the south of the accident location in Nepal, were deeply upset and continued to wait for the confirmation of his remains.
“It’s a challenging wait,” stated Deepak Jaiswal, the brother of Jaiswal.
Deepak said that just minutes after he barely reached his home in Pokhara, news channels began broadcasting images of the mangled wreckage of the aircraft, which was still billowing thick gray smoke and burning from the accident involving Jaiswal’s plane.
However, the family was reluctant to believe the news, clinging to the possibility of his survival.
The video, which had become a sensation on the internet, was watched by Deepak, who verified the genuineness of Jaiswal’s livestream to The Associated Press. Deepak was the first in his family to watch the video, but it became evident by Sunday evening.
“We couldn’t accept the news until we witnessed the video,” he expressed. “It was agonizing.”
Deepak said that his brother had gone to Kathmandu to visit the Pashupatinath temple, a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, to pray for their son before they set off for sightseeing in Pokhara, along with three other friends. Their father, Mr. Jaiswal, used to work at a local liquor store in the village of Afga Alawalpur in Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh state.
“He was not simply my sibling,” Deepak remarked. “I have lost a comrade in him.”
The disaster was deeply felt in Nepal, where 53 passengers were residents.
On Tuesday, at a hospital, numerous relatives and friends of the victims provided solace to one another. The families of certain victims, whose bodies have been recognized, made arrangements for the funerals of their cherished ones.
However, the colleagues of co-pilot Khatiwada were still in shock.
“Khatiwada was an extremely skilled pilot and highly experienced,” stated Pemba Sherpa, spokesperson for Yeti Airlines.
Later on, Khatiwada remarried and boarded the same airline’s Twin Otter DHC-6 plane, flying in district Jumla, Nepal. Sadly, the plane crashed, bursting into flames and killing all nine people on board. Dipak Pokhrel, her husband, died in the crash, and Khatiwada started flying for Yeti Airlines in 2010.
After becoming a part of the airline, Khatiwada has accumulated numerous hours of flying experience and advanced to the position of captain. Sherpa described him as a “competent aviator” with a “pleasant demeanor”.
“We have lost our finest,” Sherpa said.