Two Americans and two permanent residents living in the U.S. were among the 72 people killed when a plane crashed in Nepal over the weekend, the State Department said.
Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashed Sunday just minutes before landing in a tragedy that left no survivors.
"We’re deeply saddened to hear the tragic Yeti Airlines craft over the weekend which killed 72 people, including two U.S. citizens and two lawful permanent residents," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a news briefing Wednesday.
"Our thoughts are with the families of those on board," Price said. "The United States stands ready to support Nepal in any way we can."
Price did not identify or provide any further details about the two U.S. citizens and the permanent residents.
The plane had been headed to Pokhara, a popular tourist spot, after having departed from Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, for a roughly 27-minute journey when it crashed.
Dozens of Nepali nationals were killed, along with foreign nationals from India, Russia, South Korea, Argentina, Australia, Ireland, France and other countries, aviation officials said in a statement.
Nepal observed a day of national mourning Monday. A panel was also being set up to investigate the disaster and how to prevent future tragedies.
The French Embassy in Nepal said Wednesday that France had sent a team of aviation experts to assist the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal at the crash site.
The crash was Nepal’s deadliest since 1992, when all 167 people on board a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it struck a hill as it tried to land in Kathmandu.
Since 2000, nearly 350 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal.
