JOIN USFour childhood friends from UP among Nepal plane crash victims
Four childhood friends from Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district, about 350 kilometres from here, who had gone to pay obeisance at the famous Pashupatinath Temple, were among those killed in Sunday's plane crash near Pokhara in Nepal.
The four, identified as Sonu Jaiswal, Abhishek Kushwaha, Anil Rajbha and Vishal Sharma, had left for Nepal on January ten and were on their way to Pokhara from Kathmandu in the ill fated Yeti Airlines' plane, which crashed minutes before landing at the Pokhara International Airport on Sunday.
According to the reports, Abhishek, Anil and Vishal were first-time air travelers and were very excited. It turned out to be their last air travel.
Reports said that Sonu Jaiswal, who was into liquor business, was blessed with a son a few months back and he had invited his three childhood friends to travel with him to Nepal to have darshan at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
Sonu was on Facebook live when the plane crashed. A video by Sonu which has gone viral on social media reportedly captured the scene inside the plane and outside. The video shows the Pokhara town below. Barely a few seconds later, the pictures disappear and flames are seen.
Reports said that Sonu, Abhishek, Anil and Vishal had studied in the same school since childhood and were very close to each other.
Senior district officials rushed to their homes after receiving the news of the crash and a pall of gloom descended on their villages after it turned out that they were on the same plane. The family members of all of them have left for Nepal.
The twin engine aircraft from Kathmandu to Pokhara carrying 72 passengers and crew members crashed near the airport minutes before landing. At least 68 people were killed in the crash.