According to an official statement from the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), 18 bodies were recovered and one person, Captain Manish Ratna Shakya, the pilot of the Saurya Airlines plane, survived the crash and was rushed to the hospital immediately.
The CRJ7 plane (Reg-9NAME), operated by Nepal’s domestic Saurya Airlines, took off from Kathmandu to Pokhara at 11:11 am Nepali Standard Time (NST).
Saurya Airlines plane with 19 onboard crashes in Nepal’s Tribhuvan Airport; all but pilot dead
The pilot of the plane survived the crash and has been taken to the Kathmandu Medical College Hospital for treatment. The plane was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians for maintenance checks, according to Airport Security Chief Arjun Chand Thakuri.
A Saurya Airlines plane with 19 people on board crashed while attempting to take off from the airport serving Nepal's capital on Wednesday, state television reported.
According to an official statement from the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), 18 bodies were recovered and one person, Captain Manish Ratna Shakya, the pilot of the Saurya Airlines plane, survived the crash and was rushed to the hospital immediately.
The CRJ7 plane (Reg-9NAME), operated by Nepal’s domestic Saurya Airlines, took off from Kathmandu to Pokhara at 11:11 am Nepali Standard Time (NST).
According to NCAA, the plane turned right and crashed on the east side of the runway. The fire was brought under control and rescue work started immediately.
The plane was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians for maintenance checks, according to Airport Security Chief Arjun Chand Thakuri.
"It caught fire after skidding off the runway at Kathmandu airport and crashing into a field east of the runway," Thakuri said. Tribhuvan International Airport has been closed and emergency crews are responding to the incident.
Smoke rises from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. State television in Nepal says a plane has slipped off the runway and crashed while trying to take off from Kathmandu airport.
Saurya Airlines, which operates domestic flights in Nepal with two Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets, both around 20 years old, has been involved in this tragic accident.
Nepal has faced criticism for its poor air safety record, with the deadliest incident occurring in 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside while approaching Kathmandu, killing 167 people.
Most recently, at least 72 people were killed in a Yeti Airlines crash in January 2023 due to pilot error.