At least 18 people were killed when a small plane crashed and caught fire while taking off from Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Wednesday, authorities said.
The plane, which caught fire during takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians to the city of Pokhara for maintenance checks, airport security chief Arjun Chand Thakuri said.
“The plane caught fire after it overshot the runway at Kathmandu airport and crashed in a field east of the runway,” Thakuri said.
Of the 19 people on board, 18 have died, but the pilot survived and is being treated in hospital.
Television footage showed firefighters trying to extinguish the blaze and thick black smoke rising into the sky. Reuters reported.
The plane belonged to local carrier Saurya Airlines, media reported.
Saurya operates domestic flights in Nepal with two Bombardier CRJ-200 regional aircraft, both around 20 years old, according to Flight Radar 24.
Nepal has been criticised for its poor air safety record; the deadliest incident occurred in 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus crashed into a hillside while approaching Kathmandu, killing 167 people.
More recently, at least 72 people died in a Yeti Airlines crash in January 2023 that was later blamed on pilots mistakenly cutting power.
