Plane Crashes in Nepal, Killing 18 People with the Pilot as the Sole Survivor

Plane Crash in Nepal

A passenger plane crashed during takeoff in Kathmandu on Wednesday, resulting in the death of 18 people, while the pilot was rescued from the burning wreckage, according to Nepali police in the capital city, who spoke to AFP.

Nepal has a poor record on aviation safety, with numerous fatal crashes involving light planes and helicopters over the years.

The Saurya Airlines flight carried two crew members and 17 of the company's staff, as reported by Nepali police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki to AFP.

"The pilot has been rescued and is receiving treatment," Karki said. "Eighteen bodies have been recovered, including one foreigner. We are in the process of transporting them for post-mortem examinations."

The flight was for technical or maintenance purposes, according to Gyanendra Bhul from Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority, who provided no further details.

Neither Bahadur nor Bhul could confirm the nationality of the sole foreigner on board.

Images shared by Nepal's military showed the plane's fuselage split and burned, with about a dozen soldiers in camouflage standing on the wreckage, and the surrounding ground covered in fire retardant.

The crash occurred around 11:15 am (0530 GMT), with the military stating that its quick response team assisted in the rescue efforts.

News portal Khabarhub reported that the plane caught fire after skidding on the runway.

The plane was scheduled to fly Nepal's busiest air route between Kathmandu and Pokhara, a key tourism hub.

Saurya Airlines operates exclusively Bombardier CRJ 200 jets, according to its website.

Nepal's aviation sector has grown in recent years, transporting goods and passengers, including foreign trekkers and climbers, to remote areas. However, it suffers from poor safety due to inadequate training and maintenance, compounded by the country's challenging mountainous terrain.

The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns.

Nepal has some of the world's most difficult runways, surrounded by snow-capped peaks with tricky approaches that challenge even experienced pilots. The weather in the mountains can change rapidly, creating hazardous flying conditions.

Nepal's last major commercial flight accident occurred in January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed while landing in Pokhara, killing all 72 people on board. This was the deadliest accident in Nepal since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed on approach to Kathmandu airport, killing all 167 people on board. Earlier that year, a Thai Airways aircraft crashed near the same airport, resulting in 113 fatalities.