Eighteen people died in Kathmandu when a plane crashed during takeoff, with only the pilot surviving, police in the capital told AFP. Nepal.
The Saurya Airlines plane had two crew members and 17 company employees on board, spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki said.
“The pilot was rescued and is being treated,” he said. Apart from him, “18 bodies have been found, including that of a foreigner.”
Gyanendra Bhul, a representative of the civil aviation authority, told AFP that the flight was for maintenance or technical work, without giving further details.
Neither he nor the police spokesman provided the nationality of the only foreigner on board.
In images shared by the army, the fuselage of the plane could be seen split and charred.
The plane crashed at around 11:15 a.m. local time (05:30 GMT), the military said, adding that its rapid response team was assisting in the search and rescue efforts.
The Khabarhub news website reported that the plane caught fire after leaving the runway.
The plane was heading to Pokhara, a major tourist destination in the country.
Saurya Airlines only uses Bombardier CRJ 200 aircraft, according to its website.
Nepal’s aviation industry has grown rapidly in recent years, facilitating the transport of people and goods to hard-to-reach areas, as well as mountaineers.
However, it has been hampered by poor safety standards.
The European Union has banned all Nepalese airlines from flying over its airspace for safety reasons.
The last major accident involving a commercial airliner occurred in January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines aircraft crashed while trying to land in Pokhara. All 72 people on board died.
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2024-07-24 21:23:11
