Four US citizens, residents killed in Nepal plane crash

Two U.S. citizens and two lawful permanent U.S. residents were killed in the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed in Nepal on Sunday, the State Department said.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a press briefing on Wednesday the U.S. was “deeply saddened” by the tragic plane crash, which killed all 72 people onboard.

“Our thoughts are with the families of those onboard,” he said. “The United States stands ready to support Nepal in any way we can at this difficult hour.”

There were no initial further details on the two American citizens and two lawful permanent U.S. residents who died in the crash.

Fifty-three of the passengers on the plane were residents of Nepal.

A Facebook statement on Sunday from the airline identified 15 foreign nationals on the flight, including citizens from India, Russia, Argentina, South Korea, Australia and France.

The Yeti Airlines flight departed from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capitol, on Sunday morning and was headed to a nearby tourist town before it plummeted into a deep gorge.

It was the country’s deadliest crash since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus plane crashed, killing 167 people on the flight.

After Sunday’s tragic incident, Nepal’s prime minister declared a day of national mourning on Monday and the national government formed a panel to investigate the cause of the crash.

Nepal, home to several of the world’s highest mountains, has seen a series of plane crashes over the years and has been criticized for not being up to international safety standards.