The video of what has been termed as the final moments of the crashed Nepal plane has been going viral on social media as it shows an Indian national who was on board recording it as the aircraft was descending and eventually hit the ground, possibly killing all the 72 people on board. While the cause behind the crash is being probed, it has become one of the worst air disasters in Nepal history. 

An Indian, 35-year-old Sonu Jaiswal, was on board the Yeti Airlines aircraft and in the video, he appeared to be happily recording the landing moment on a Facebook Live while his three companions were also sharing smile with Jaiswal. The video had shown that the plane descended to land, but in seconds of time, the plane lost control and crashed, one minute before its scheduled landing. 

The video has also recorded the flames and screams as the passengers were killed before realizing what had happened. According to reports, Jaiswal had taken his friends to Nepal to visit Lord Pashupatinath Temple at Kathmandu after offering prayers, they decided to visit Pokhara, a major tourist destination in Nepal, for paragliding. Speaking to PTI, one of Jaiswal's relatives said, "But the fate had something else in store for him." 

Jaiswal is survived by wife, two daughters, and infant son. Jaiswal was among the five Indians who were on board the Yeti Airlines aircraft that was bound to Pokhara from Kathmandu on Sunday. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Yeti Airlines 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 10.33 am on Sunday and crashed at the Pokhara Airport at around 11 am. 

Of the five Indians who were killed in the crash, four were from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh - Sonu Jaiswal (35), Abhishek Kushwaha (25), Vishal Sharma (22), and Anil Kumar Rajbhar (27), while the other Indian has been identified as Sanjaya Jaiswal. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that the officials have been instructed to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs to bring back the mortal remains of the deceased Indians.

Yogi Adityanath tweeted, "The plane crash in Nepal is very sad. Humble tribute to all the people who died in this, including the Indian citizens. My condolences are with the bereaved families. May Lord Shri Ram grant place to the departed souls in his holy feet and speedy recovery to the injured." However, the searchers on the crash site has lost hope in finding any survivors as it has been reported that all 72 people have died. The plane carried 72 people including four crew members and so far, 68 bodies have been recovered. 

According to reports, Jaiswal's phone was found on the wreckage site and the video was found on his Facebook account, which is unverified. Speaking to NDTV, Abhishek Pratap Shah, a former MP of Nepal and Central Committee member of the Nepali Congress, who sent the video footage, said that he received the footage from a friend and it was recovered from the wreckage. Shah said, "It was sent by one of my friends who received it from a police personnel. It is a real record. It's today's video as the flight was about to land." 

Earlier on Sunday, moments after the crash, the Indian Embassy in Nepal said, "An ATR-72 plane of Yeti Airlines crashed today near the Pokhara Airport while flying from Kathmandu. According to the info provided by Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, 5 Indians were travelling on this flight. Rescue operations are underway." The Indian mission has been in touch with the local authorities and is closely monitoring the situation. 

It has been reported that while attempting to land at the Pokhara Airport, the plane crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old and the new airport. While the reason for the crash is unknown, the Nepal government has formed a five-member commission of inquiry to probe the plane crash. On Monday, the charred flight's data and voice recorders had been found and the search is being conducted to recover the plane's black box, which would reveal the last conversations between the pilots and the reason for the crash. 

It has been reported that it is the country's deadliest plane crash in thirty years. The search was halted on Sunday evening and it resumed on Monday with some 300 searchers. Of the 68 passengers, 53 were Nepal nationals and the rest 15 were foreigners - five Indians, four Russians, two Koreans, and one each from Australia, Ireland, Argentina, and France. 

Several global leaders have been expressing their auguish over the deadly air crash in the Himalayan country that has dangerous airports with tabletop runways. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter, "Pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families". 

#NepalPlaneCrash sonu jaiswal was live before crash. #ghazipur #planecrash pic.twitter.com/4bWQeocGkd

— Akshay Kumar (@Ak470470Kumar) January 15, 2023