Agencies
Kathmandu
At least 18 people have been confirmed dead after an airplane crashed in Nepal on Wednesday, police said.
The pilot was the only survivor of Wednesday’s crash and was being treated in hospital, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said in a statement.
Shortly after take-off, the plane, belonging to the domestic carrier Saurya Airlines, veered to the right and crashed on the side of the runway at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, the authority said in a statement.
The aircraft with 19 people on board was bound for the tourist town of Pokhara, around 200km northwest of the capital city.
The chief of airport security said the bodies of 18 people have been recovered. “One crew member is seriously injured and is receiving treatment,” he told DPA.
Eighteen Nepalis, including one child, and a Yemeni national were on the plane, the aviation authority confirmed.
The bodies were taken to the TU Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for autopsy.
Security personnel and airport firefighters reached the crash site within minutes and worked to extinguish the flames and rescue any survivors. Images of the aftermath shared by Nepal’s military showed the plane’s fuselage split apart and charred.
TIA General Manager Jagannath Niraoula said that it is still unclear how the accident happened. Due to the mountainous terrain and rapidly changing weather conditions in Nepal, but also due to safety challenges, aircraft accidents occur time and again.
In January 2023, 72 people died when a Nepalese Yeti Airlines aircraft crashed on its approach to Pokhara. Pokhara is the starting point for numerous trekking tours in the Himalayas.
