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Plane crash kills 18 in Nepal, pilot hospitalised
All 18 people on board were murdered when a passenger plane crashed on takeoff in Kathmandu on Wednesday, according to authorities in the Nepali capital who spoke to AFP. The pilot was rescued from the debris.
Nepal's aviation safety record is appalling; over the years, the Himalayan nation has experienced a number of fatal light aircraft and helicopter incidents.
17 employees and two crew members were on board the Saurya Airlines aircraft, according to Nepali police spokesman Dan Karki.
He declared, "The pilot has been rescued and is receiving treatment." Eighteen bodies—one of whom was foreign—have been found. We are currently preparing them for a post-mortem examination.
The deceased foreigner was identified as a Yemeni national by the Civil Aviation Authority.
An airport press release said the aircraft “veered off to the right and crashed on the east side of the runway” shortly after take-off.
It stated that the survivor's condition at the hospital was critical.
The jet caught fire after it crashed, according to Ram Kumar K.C., who owns a tyre shop close to the scene of the accident and spoke to AFP.
The 48-year-old stated, "We were about to run to the site but then there was an explosion so we ran away again."
Without providing any information, Gyanendra Bhul of Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority told AFP that the flight was being carried out for either technical or maintenance reasons.
The plane's fuselage was burned to a husk in photos that the Nepalese military released in the aftermath.
There were about a dozen soldiers dressed in camouflage standing atop the debris, with fire retardant covering the surrounding ground.
Later, dozens of distraught family members gathered outside a nearby hospital where the bodies were transported from the crash scene.
Rajan Acharya, the brother of a safety officer on board, told AFP he was "heartbroken." "It's true that we were best friends, but we were also my brother."
The aircraft was due to go on the busiest aviation route in Nepal, which connects Kathmandu and Pokhara, a popular tourist destination.
On its website, Saurya Airlines states that it only operates Bombardier CRJ 200 aircraft.