An aircraft carrying 72 people crashed Sunday in Nepal, leaving at least 68 people dead in the country’s deadliest plane crash in 30 years and the third-deadliest in its history, according to the Aviation Safety Network. 

The Yeti Airlines flight was traveling from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, to Pokhara, a city in the central part of the country where the crash occurred. The cities are about 125 miles apart and just 25 minutes by airplane. Video shows the turboprop regional airliner flying low and appearing to lose control just moments before the disaster. The cause of the crash is still unclear, according to the nation’s aviation authorities. 

“By the time I was there the crash site was already crowded,” a resident told BBC News. “There was huge smoke coming from the flames of the plane. And then helicopters came over in no time. The pilot tried his best to not hit civilization or any home. There was a small space right beside the Seti River and the flight hit the ground in that small space,” she added. 

The ATR 72-500 aircraft carried 72 people, including four crew members, 53 Nepalese, five Indians, four Russias, two South Koreans, one French passenger, one person from Ireland, one Argentinian, and an Australian.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said in a press release that two helicopters were immediately dispatched upon receiving information of a crash for search and rescue. Included in search and rescue teams were the Nepal Army, police, and the Himalayan Rescue Association. At the time of the press release, 68 bodies had been found. One witness reportedly heard cries for help from the wreckage, according to the Associated Press. 

“The flames were so hot that we couldn’t go near the wreckage. I heard a man crying for help, but because of the flames and smoke we couldn’t help him,” the witness said.

Pokhara Airport, the flight’s intended destination, opened just 14 days ago. The crash was the second in the past year for the Himalayan country. A plane carrying 22 passengers hit a Himalayan mountainside in May, killing all on board. 

“I am speechless about the crash,” Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari said in a statement on Twitter. “I convey my heartfelt condolences to the passengers and the crew members who lost their lives and express my deep sympathy for the family members for their losses.”

All Nepalese airlines have been banned from operating within the European Union since 2013 for lack of safety standards. Nepal has a history of airplane crashes, with 42 fatal ones since 1946, according to the AP. The topography of Nepal is one potential reason, with eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, along with rapid weather changes and aging aircraft. 

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) said Sunday that the Biden administration has failed in its pledge of transparency, acknowledging “we don’t know exactly yet” whether President Joe Biden or anyone on his team has broken the law after the White House announced over the weekend that five more classified documents were found in his Delaware home.

Appearing on CNN’s State of The Union with host Jake Tapper, Comer accused the president of hypocrisy, noting that the Biden administration went after former President Donald Trump swiftly when a similar situation was revealed but appeared to hide his own misconduct from the public for political reasons. 

“Remember, they were quick to call for a special counsel prior to the midterm elections, and Joe Biden used as his closing argument during the midterm elections that Republicans were a threat to democracy, and he cited the fact that President Trump mishandled the documents,” Comer told Tapper. “While he was doing this, he knew very well that he himself had possession of classified documents. So, the hypocrisy here is great.” 

Tapper: "Are you accusing President Biden or anyone on his team of breaking the law?"

Comer: "Well, we don't know exactly yet"@jaketapper asks Rep. James Comer (R-KY) about a House Republican probe into Biden's mishandling of classified docs. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/KTIEo1q4cX

— CNN (@CNN) January 15, 2023

Comer went on to say that House Republicans are concerned about a lack of transparency from the administration, a pledge that former Press Secretary Jen Psaki made on Biden’s first day in office, promising to “bring transparency and truth back to government.” Comer claimed the variations in responses to Trump and Biden represent a “two-tiered system of justice in America.” 

Tapper attempted to explain Biden’s lawyer’s possible reason for sitting on the information, which was initially discovered on November 2, was to not impede a Department of Justice investigation in regard to witnesses. Comer said that argument was “hard to believe.” 

“I would consider the fact that it was right before a midterm election, a very important midterm election that was close, that was going to determine the balance of power in Congress, the fact that they had, that they were quick to call for a special counsel with Trump, it seems political here, it seems hypocritical, it seems like a double standard, and that’s our concern,” Comer said. 

The Kentucky congressman explained that as Chair of the House Oversight Committee, he has jurisdiction over the National Archives, which he also accused of lacking transparency, adding that he is frustrated with the agency. Comer said the archives never briefed him or Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the top Democrat on the committee, on the November 2nd discovery. 

“Why was Mar-a-Lago raided, but the president’s home not?” Comer asked. “Why are the president’s lawyers still allowed to go rummage through looking for documents after a special counsel has been appointed,” he said. 

Comer recently made similar comments to CBS News, saying it appears the Biden Administration didn’t immediately inform the public of the president’s document scandal for “political reasons.” 

“It sure looks like the reason they withheld that was for political reasons and I wonder if we would have ever known it was it not for the investigative reporting at CBS,” Comer said. 

House Oversight Chair @JamesComer says "it sure looks like" the Biden administration withheld the document scandal from the public "for political reasons."

"I wonder if we would've ever known it were it not for the investigative reporting at CBS News." pic.twitter.com/KQTnDw85nU

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 14, 2023