Passenger Plane Crashes on Takeoff in Kathmandu, Nepal
A devastating aviation incident has occurred in Kathmandu, Nepal, where a passenger plane crashed on takeoff, resulting in the death of all 18 people on board except for the pilot. The Saurya Airlines flight, which was carrying two crew members and 17 staff members, encountered a fatal accident on Wednesday afternoon.
According to police reports, the plane’s pilot was rescued from the burning wreckage and is currently receiving medical treatment. Twenty bodies, including one foreigner, were recovered from the scene, and they are being taken for post-mortem examinations.
The flight was being conducted for technical or maintenance purposes, but the cause of the crash is still unknown. The sole foreigner on board has yet to be identified, and authorities have not released further details.
Eye-witness accounts and images of the aftermath shared by Nepal’s military show the plane’s fuselage severely damaged and burnt to a husk. The crash occurred at 11:15 am local time, and an army quick response team was immediately dispatched to the scene to assist with rescue efforts.
The News portal Khabarhub reported that the plane had caught fire after skidding on the runway. The aircraft was scheduled to fly on Nepal’s busiest air route between Kathmandu and Pokhara, an important tourism hub in the Himalayan republic. Saurya Airlines exclusively operates Bombardier CRJ 200 jets, according to its website.
Nepal’s air industry has a notoriously poor safety record, with a ban on all Nepali carriers in EU airspace due to safety concerns. The Himalayan country’s treacherous terrain and unpredictable weather conditions make flying a daunting task, even for experienced pilots.
This crash is the latest in a long history of aviation accidents in Nepal. In January 2023, a Yeti Airlines service crashed while landing at Pokhara, killing all 72 people on board. The country’s last major commercial flight accident was in 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed on approach to Kathmandu airport, claiming the lives of all 167 people on board.
