Sole pilot survives plane crash in Nepal
At least 18 people were killed after a plane crashed and burst into flames while taking off from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on Wednesday.
The pilot, who is currently being treated in hospital, was the sole survivor of the fatal crash.
There were nineteen people on board the Saurya Airlines test flight, including the airline’s technical staff and two crew members.
Nepal’s aviation industry has a poor safety record – blamed on a number of factors over the years, from unpredictable weather to lax regulations.
Saurya Airlines’ test flight on Wednesday was headed to Pokhara, a popular tourist destination.
Videos posted online showed the plane engulfed in flames and smoke. Fire engines and ambulances were dispatched to the scene following the incident.
The incident occurred at around 11:15 local time (05:30 GMT), minutes after the plane took off from Tribhuvan International Airport, according to a statement by the search and rescue coordination center of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
The statement said the plane “turned right and crashed east of the runway”.
“It is reported that the fire has been brought under control and rescue work has been started immediately,” the statement added.
“Eighteen bodies have been recovered and one injured person has been rescued and taken to hospital.”
Among the dead were 17 Nepalese and one Yemeni national.
Airport director Jagannath Niraula told BBC Nepali that the crash “happened immediately after take-off, not even a minute”, but airport authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the crash.
Nepal police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki also confirmed the death to BBC Nepali.
An airport official said “some cracking noises” were heard coming from the plane.
Nepal has been criticized for its poor aviation safety record. In January 2023, at least 72 people died in a Yeti Airlines crash. It was later believed that the pilot had accidentally cut the power supply..
It was the deadliest air accident in Nepal since 1992, when all 167 people on board a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it crashed while approaching Kathmandu Airport.
Saruya Airlines operates flights to five destinations within Nepal, with a fleet of three Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, according to the company website.
