Two Americans and two US residents confirmed to be among the 72 dead in Nepal plane crash

The US State Department has confirmed that two American citizens and two lawful permanent residents were among the 72 that died in the Nepal plane crash. 

Initially, no Americans were mentioned on the Yeti flight on Sunday, but the State Department confirmed the news on Wednesday. Their identities have not been released. 

'We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic Yeti Airlines crash over the weekend, which killed 72 people including two US citizens and two lawful permanent residents,' State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. 

'Our thoughts are with the families of those on board, the United States stands ready to support Nepal in any way we can at this difficult hour,' State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said. 

The crash, which was the deadliest in Nepal in the last 30 years, killed all 72 passengers after it plummeted into a gorge during landing near the Pokhara International Airport in the Himalayas foothills. 

Among the passengers were those who hailed from Nepal, Argentina, Australia, France, Ireland, Korea, Russia, and India. 

Two US citizens and two lawful permanent residents were killed in the Nepal plane crash on Sunday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price (pictured) confirmed.  'We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic Yeti Airlines crash over the weekend' 

Although little is known about the crash, the co-pilot Anju Khatiwada, 44 - who had training in the US - had logged in more than 6,400 flight hours and had previously flown the popular tourist route from the capital, Kathmandu, to the country's second-largest city, Pokhara. 

Kamal K.C., the captain of the flight, had more than 21,900 hours of flight time. 

However, Jagannath Niroula, a spokesperson for Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority said on Thursday that the new airport did not have a functioning instrument landing system that guides planes to the runway. 

He said the landing system would not be working until February 26 - 56 days after the airport began operations on January 1. 

An instrument landing system helps airplanes fly safely when the pilot is unable to maintain visual contact with surrounding obstacles and the ground, mainly due to weather conditions or at nighttime. Pilots can also fly by sight rather than relying on instruments.

Aviation safety experts said it reflects the Himalayan country's poor air safety record, although the cause of the accident has not been determined. 

Pilots say mountainous Nepal, where in-flight visibility problems are common, can be a difficult place to fly, but conditions at the time of the crash were good, with low winds, clear skies and temperatures well above freezing. 

While it's still not clear what caused the crash, some aviation experts say video taken from the ground of the plane's last moments indicated it went into a stall, although it's unclear why.

The crash (pictured) killed all 72 passengers after it plummeted into a gorge during landing

Half the plane hung off the gorge after crashing. It was the deadliest in Nepal in 30 years

Although the cause of the crash has not been confirmed, new airport did not have a functioning instrument landing system that guides planes to the runway. The landing system would not be working until February 26, according to Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority

Amit Singh, an experienced pilot and founder of India's Safety Matters Foundation, said the lack of an instrument landing system or navigational aids could be a 'contributory cause' of the crash and pointed to a 'notoriously bad air safety culture in Nepal.'

'Flying in Nepal becomes challenging if you don't have navigational aids and puts an extra workload on the pilot whenever they experience problems during a flight,' Singh said. 'Lack of an instrument landing system only reaffirms that Nepal's air safety culture is not adequate.'

Yeti Airlines said the plane's cockpit voice recorder will be analyzed locally, but the flight data recorder will be sent to France. Both were retrieved Monday.

Hundreds of rescue workers scoured the hillside site where the plane crashed before confirming the deaths.  

Local television showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers and crowds of people gathered around the wreckage of the aircraft on Sunday. 

Co-pilot Anju Khatiwada, 44 - who had training in the US - had logged in more than 6,400 flight hours and had previously flown the popular tourist route from the capital, Kathmandu, to the country's second-largest city, Pokhara

The plane was seen tilting sideways as it was attempting to land near the airport on Sunday 

Local TV showed rescue workers scrambling around broken sections of the aircraft. Some of the ground near the crash site was scorched, with licks of flames visible.

'The plane is burning,' said police official Ajay K.C. earlier this week, adding that rescue workers had difficulty reaching the site in a gorge between two hills near the tourist town's airport.

The craft made contact with the airport from Seti Gorge at 10.50am local time, the aviation authority said in a statement. 'Then it crashed.'

'Half of the plane is on the hillside,' said Arun Tamu, a local resident, who told Reuters he reached the site minutes after the plane went down. 'The other half has fallen into the gorge of the Seti river.'

Khum Bahadur Chhetri said he watched from the roof of his house as the flight approached.

'I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then suddenly its nose-dived and it went into the gorge,' Chhetri told Reuters. 

Grieving relatives (pictured) of victims of Sunday's plane crash grew impatient on Wednesday as they waited for authorities to carry out the autopsy

'It has been four days, but no one is listening to us,' said Madan Kumar Jaiswal as he waited outside the Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine on Wednesday (pictured: rescue workers carry a victim away from the crash sight) 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda met with bereaved families on Thursday and asked hospital authorities to expedite the remaining autopsies of some victims so their bodies can be handed over to their families.

Authorities said it was taking time to identify several bodies that were badly burned.

Grieving relatives of victims of Sunday's plane crash grew impatient on Wednesday as they waited for authorities to carry out the autopsy. 

'It has been four days, but no one is listening to us,' said Madan Kumar Jaiswal as he waited outside the Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine on Wednesday.

He said he wants the post-mortems to be done quickly so the families can receive the bodies of their loved ones.

'They are saying that they will do a DNA test. My daughter is dead,' said Ashok Rayamagi, father of another victim.

Among the victims, include Australian Myron William Love (left), Nepali Sonu Jaiswal (middle), and Russian Elena Banduro

The twin-engine ATR 72-500 aircraft was flying from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara, 125 miles to the west, when it plummeted into a gorge as it was approaching the airport. The crash site is about one mile from the runway at an elevation of about 2,700 feet.

The crash is Nepal's deadliest since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines plane plowed into a hill as it tried to land in Kathmandu, killing all 167 people on board. There have been 42 fatal plane crashes in Nepal since 1946, according to the Safety Matters Foundation.

A 2019 safety report from Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority said the country's 'hostile topography' and 'diverse weather patterns' were the biggest dangers to flights in the country.

The European Union has banned airlines from Nepal from flying to the 27-nation bloc since 2013, citing weak safety standards. In 2017, the International Civil Aviation Organization cited improvements in Nepal's aviation sector, but the EU continues to demand administrative reforms.