Plane with 19 onboard crashes in Kathmandu, only pilot survives: Updates

Kathmandu plane crash: The plane, owned by local operator Saurya Airlines, crashed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at around 11 am.

A private plane in Nepal’s Kathmandu crashed during take-off on Wednesday morning, resulting in the aircraft catching fire when 19 people were on board the flight.

According to Kathmandu Post, 18 bodies of passengers have been recovered from the accident site by the officials.

The pilot of the plane, identified as Captain M R Shakya, was rushed to a hospital and is currently under treatment.

The plane, owned by local operator Saurya Airlines, crashed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at around 11 am.

There were at least 19 people, including crew members onboard the Pokhara-bound aircraft when the incident took place.

The Kathmandu Post said that the plane suffered a runway excursion during takeoff. In aviation terminology, this is described when an aircraft skids off the runway during landing or take-off.

The airport was seen enveloped in thick billows of smoke, the media report said. It cited eyewitnesses to report that the plane met with the accident while taking off from the southern end of the runway (Koteshwor side), when it “suddenly flipped with the wing tip hitting the ground.” 

The fire in the aircraft has been doused now. A team is at the site conducting further search and rescue efforts.

The details of the passengers onboard the plane are not immediately known. Reuters reported that the 17 passengers on board were technicians, employed with the airlines and were being flown to Pokhara city for maintenance checks.

An official said that the aircraft crashed into a field east of the runway.

In January 2023, a flight owned by Yeti Airlines had crashed right before landing in Pokhara, killing 74 people.