A talented ballet dancer from Essex who has been described as "one of the best people" was killed in the horrific Nepal plane crash.

Ruan Crighton, from Brentwood, was listed as the 12th passenger on board the Yeti Airlines flight which plummeted into a gorge on Sunday (January 15) while on approach to the newly opened Pokhara International Airport in the foothills of the Himalayas.

The crash killed at least 70 of the 72 people on board.

It is understood Mr Crighton, who was a physiotherapy student and a member at the prestigious Finnish National Opera and Ballet company, died just one day after his 34th birthday, which fell on January 14, MailOnline has reported.

He was initially described as Irish by authorities in Nepal but was travelling with a UK passport. A spokesman for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs later confirmed he is a UK national.

The UK government has also since confirmed he was British. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Nepal and are in contact with the local authorities."

His death has sparked an outpouring of grief across Europe’s ballet community on social media.

Michal Krcmar, star dancer of Finnish National Ballet, took to Facebook to say: "My dear friend, you were one of the best people I ever known.

"My heart is broken and you will be missed to all of us...GOOD bye Dear Ruan...Love you. R.I.P."

A friend and dancer at Slovak National Theatre also told the Irish Daily Mail: "I got the info yesterday, but i was hoping it wasn't him.

"Ruan was one of my best friends. We dance together on stage for years… I'm devastated. It is very hard to say something about [him] right now. But first he was a sunshine."

Searchers found the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder on Monday, and combed through debris scattered down the 300m-deep ravine in search of the two missing, who are presumed dead.

The voice recorder will be analysed locally but the flight data recorder will be sent to France, said Jagannath Niraula, spokesperson for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority. The aircraft’s manufacturer, ATR, is headquartered in Toulouse.

The French air accident investigations agency confirmed it is taking part in the probe and its representatives were already on site.

The twin-engine ATR 72-500t, operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines, was completing the 27-minute flight from the capital, Kathmandu, to the resort city of Pokhara, 125 miles west.

It is still not clear what caused the crash, less than a minute’s flight from the airport in light wind and clear skies.