BREAKING: Nepal airplane crash death toll rises to 71, only one passenger still missing

Officials in Nepal say they have found bodies of 71 out of the total 72 people after the country witnessed its worst air disaster in three decades 

Authorities in Nepal have said that the bodies of 71 passengers who died after an air crash on Sunday, January 15, have been recovered by rescue workers. 

According to official reports, search and rescue crews used drones and also abseiled into the deep gorge, where the plane crash site was located.  

They have now said that only one person is missing after one of the worst air crashes in the country´s aviation history.  

The rescue operations were made difficult due to the location of the crash, as it was found about 200 metres (650 feet) inside a gorge.  

A total of 72 passengers were onboard Nepal´s Yeti Airlines plane ATR turboprop and officials have said they are now looking for the last missing person.  

The operation which was taking place near the city of Pokhra has now been reportedly stopped due to bad weather and is expected to resume on Wednesday, January 18.  

A statement from Ajay K.C, a local police official, cited by Reuters said “Rescue teams were struggling to identify bodies”, adding, “There is thick fog here now. We are sending search and rescue personnel using ropes into the gorge where parts of the plane fell and was in flames”.  

K.C. also said that small children were among the passengers on the plane as well.  

Meanwhile, rescuers have also collected human remains from the crash site, which have been sent for DNA testing.

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