Plane crash in Nepal leaves 18 dead; pilot sole survivor
At least 18 people died on Wednesday in a plane crash in Nepal. The pilot was the only one to survive the accident. He is currently in the hospital.
The incident occurred at around 1:15 AM Eastern Time. According to BBC, about 19 people were travelling on the Saurya Airlines plane, including airline technical staff and two crew members. The plane was flying to Pokhara. Only the pilot survived the crash, and he was transported to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital with eye injuries but in a non-life-threatening condition.
Quoted by "Sky News," the airport security chief Arjun Chand Thakuri stated that the plane "caught fire" after it left the runway of Tribhuvan International Airport in the capital, Kathmandu. The footage shows the plane lifting off the runway and then tilting and crashing to the ground.
Social media posts show footage documenting the progress of the rescue operation and firefighters doing everything they can to extinguish the burning aircraft. There are also pictures showing rescuers searching the now-extinguished wreckage of the plane.
At this moment, there is no information on what could have caused the plane crash in Nepal. Sky News reminds that it is currently monsoon season in Nepal. Although it was not raining at the time of the crash, visibility throughout the capital was poor.
Airport temporarily closed
Tribhuvan International Airport, the main airport in Nepal serving international and domestic flights, was temporarily closed after the crash. Nepal has been repeatedly criticized for its poor aviation safety records. In January 2023, at least 72 people died in a Yeti Airlines crash, which was later attributed to pilots who mistakenly cut the power.
The deadliest aviation incident occurred in 1992 when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside while approaching Kathmandu. All 167 people on board perished.
