Elena Banduro’s last instagram post (left) and the crash site. Source Twitter
Pokhra (Nepal): 68 passengers and 4 crew members of the Yeti Airlines YT691 perished in what is possibly the deadliest plane disaster in Nepali history on Sunday morning.
The ATR 72 jetliner bound for Pokhara from Kathmandu crashed not far from the city’s airport. On the banks of the Seti Gandaki river, the plane crashed into a forest.
15 of the deceased were foreigners. There were also 5 Indians, 4 Russians, 2 South Koreans, 1 Australian, 1 French, and 1 Argentinian person among them.
Elena Banduro, a 33-year-old Russian traveller and blogger, was one of those whose passing was first announced.
Hours after the news of her passing, it was revealed that Elena had uploaded a selfie to her Instagram account withthe message “GO TO NEPAL!” just moments before the tragedy.
It was revealed by her sister that Elena was carrying a baby when she passed away and that she was travelling to Nepal to see her spouse.
Her Facebook bio revealed she was the manager of social media marketing at a business with headquarters in Russia.
Prior to this, she worked as a public relations professional for a different company, chronicling her travels around the world on social media.
In October 2022, Elena had travelled to Caucasus Nature Reserve, a Russian nature sanctuary covering a mountainous section of Northwest Caucasus mountains.
She was in Nepal for yet another adventure.
Last she talked to her sister was a day prior to the tragedy.
Ksenia, her sister said that Elena shared with her about boarding the Yeti airplane. “At 4.59 am (Moscow time), she wrote to me, ‘Good morning, in Nepal, 7.44 am. I go to the airport area, now I have a flight to the city of Pokhara.”
She added that Elena hadn’t disclosed her pregnancy to her family until just last week.
Her last post on Instagram was made on January 5. “Turn up the sound”, the caption, which is translated from Russian.
Her Instagram is filled with images and movies taken in locations including Crimea, Kazakhstan, the Iturup island, and Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka.
Worst Crash
Locals who raced to the scene to help evacuate victims from the collision site claimed they were unable to do so due to the intense smoke and flames.
Authorities claim that none of the 72 passengers on board the Yeti Airlines flight appear to have survived. There have been 68 bodies found so far, and 4 remain unaccounted for.
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