In a tragic incident on Wednesday, a passenger plane crashed at Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. According to the initial reports, 19 people were on board at the time crash.
Sources from the crash spot said that the aircraft skidded off the runway at the time of takeoff. The plan was en route to Pokhara.
Reacting swiftly to the saddening incident, rescue teams, ambulances, and fire brigades rushed to the plane crash site, and a rescue operation is currently underway. Local media reported that rescue teams have recovered 18 dead bodies and all onboard were Suarya Airlines staff.
They managed to rescue the pilot alive, who received major injuries and has been admitted to the hospital for treatment
The plane, en route to Pokhara for aircraft repairs, was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians. According to Tej Bahadur Poudyal, spokesperson for Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, only the captain survived the crash and is currently receiving treatment in a hospital.
Initial footage captured firefighters battling the blaze and thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Other videos showed the plane shortly before the crash, tilting as it flew above the runway, and then the aftermath with rescue workers sifting through the wreckage scattered across lush green fields, as reported by Hindustan Times. The crashed aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-200, belonged to Saurya Airlines, a local carrier. The airport has been temporarily closed following the incident. Saurya Airlines operates domestic flights in Nepal with two Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, each around 20 years old, according to Flight Radar 24. Nepal’s air safety record has faced significant criticism, with nearly 350 fatalities in plane or helicopter crashes since 2000. The deadliest crash in recent history occurred in 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside near Kathmandu, killing 167 people. More recently, a Yeti Airlines crash in January 2023 claimed at least 72 lives, attributed to a pilot error in cutting off power. Earlier in 2023, a similar plane crash in Nepal was reported, in which, around 68 people lost their lives. In the past incident, five Indians had also died when a plane crashed into a river gorge while landing at a newly-opened airport in the resort city of Pokhara.
