the dramatic video. Only the pilot is safe –

A passenger plane carrying 19 people has crashed on takeoff in Kathmandu, killing 18 and leaving only one survivor, the pilot, who was rescued, police in the Nepalese capital said. Nepal has seen several fatal plane and helicopter crashes in recent decades. The Saurya Airlines flight was carrying two crew members and 17 staff members of the Nepalese airline on a test flight, Nepalese police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki said. “The pilot was rescued and is in hospital,” he added. A total of “18 bodies, including that of a foreigner,” were found, the spokesman said, adding that they will be subjected to autopsies.

Very sad news is coming from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.
It was a Solaria Airlines flight#Nepal#planecrash
✈️✈️✈️ pic.twitter.com/p1vOmqnzP5

— Your Khabri (@Yourkhabri) July 24, 2024

Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority’s Gyanendra Bhul said the flight was for maintenance or technical reasons, without providing further details. No official could confirm the nationality of the lone foreigner on board. Footage shared by the Nepalese military showed the plane’s fuselage split open and reduced to a burnt-out hull. The plane crashed at around 11:15 a.m. (0730 GMT), the military said in a statement. The army’s rapid response team is taking part in the rescue operation, the source said. The plane caught fire after it skidded off the runway, news portal Khabarhub said. The plane was due to take off on Nepal’s busiest air route between Kathmandu and Pokhara, a major tourist hub in the Himalayan republic.

Saurya Airlines operates only Bombardier CRJ 200s, according to its website. The Nepalese airline operates only domestic flights. Air travel of people and cargo has boomed in Nepal in recent years, as a means of transit between hard-to-reach areas, especially for foreign trekkers and climbers. But it is hampered by a lack of safety due to inadequate training and maintenance. These problems are compounded by the geography of this high-mountain republic. Weather can change rapidly, creating dangerous flying conditions. The European Union has banned all Nepalese carriers from its airspace over safety concerns.