Through his Twitter account, the Cuban foreign minister conveyed this feeling of regret and solidarity to relatives and close friends of the victims.

Nepali authorities reported the death of at least 68 passengers out of the 72 on board the aircraft.

The plane was en route from Kathmandu to the new airport in Pokhara, the country’s second most populous city, 129 kilometers west of the capital, when it crashed to the ground near its destination and was engulfed in flames.

Nepal suffered 67 air accidents in the past 60 years, with the most recent occurring in May 2022 when a Tara Air plane from Pokhara to Jomsom crashed into a mountain, killing 22 people.

ef/lam/mks