KATHMANDU: At least 18 people were killed after a plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal's capital of Kathmandu on Wednesday.
The pilot, who is currently receiving treatment in hospital, is the only survivor of the fatal accident.
Some 19 people were on the Saurya Airlines test flight, including technical staff members of the airline and two crew members.
The plane was headed to Pokhara, a popular tourism destination.
Videos posted online showed the plane being enveloped in fire and smoke. Fire engines and ambulances were rushed to the spot after the incident.
The incident happened at around 11:15 local time (05:30 GMT), a few minutes after the plane took off from the Tribhuvan International Airport,according to a statementby the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority's search and rescue coordination centre.
The statement said the plane "turned right and crashed on the east side of the runway".
"It was reported that the fire was brought under control and the rescue work was started immediately," it added.
"The dead bodies of 18 people were collected and one injured person was rescued and taken to the hospital."
Nepali police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki also confirmed the deaths to BBC Nepali.
An airport official said "some cracking noises were heard" from the plane.
Nepal has been criticised for its poor air safety record. In January 2023, at least 72 people were killed in a Yeti Airlines crash that waslater attributed to its pilots mistakenly cutting the power.
Saruya Airlines operates flights to five destinations within Nepal, with a fleet of three Bombardier CRJ-200 jets,according to the company’s website.