Plane crash at Nepal’s Kathmandu airport kills 18 people. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal announced that the pilot was the sole survivor of the crash.
A tragic incident occurred when a passenger aircraft crashed and ignited shortly after departing from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, resulting in the deaths of 18 individuals, as confirmed by aviation officials.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal announced that the pilot was the sole survivor of the crash on Wednesday and is receiving medical care.
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The test flight, operated by Saurya Airlines, carried 19 people, including technical personnel and two crew members.
According to the aviation authority, the accident happened shortly after the 11:11 am (05:26 GMT) takeoff of the 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200. The plane veered right and crashed into the eastern side of the airport. It was en route to the resort town of Pokhara. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
A doctor from Kathmandu Medical College Hospital informed The Associated Press that the pilot sustained eye injuries but is not in critical condition.
Among the passengers were 18 Nepalis, including one child, and one Yemeni national, as confirmed by the aviation authority.
The victims’ bodies were transported to TU Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for autopsy.
Photos released by Nepal’s military showed the plane’s fuselage split and charred.
Broadcast footage displayed the bodies being loaded into ambulances on stretchers, while rescue teams sifted through the aircraft’s charred wreckage.
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Due to the crash, Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal’s primary airport for both international and domestic flights, was closed for several hours for emergency response and investigation.
The airport is situated within a valley surrounded by mountains, making it a challenging location for pilots, especially larger aircraft, which must navigate through a mountain gap to land.
Nepal’s aviation sector has grown significantly in recent years, facilitating the transport of goods and people across difficult terrains, as well as catering to local and international trekkers and climbers. However, the country has a poor aviation safety record, with numerous fatal light plane and helicopter crashes over the years.
This safety issue is often attributed to inadequate training and maintenance, exacerbated by the country’s difficult geography.
Nepal also features some of the most challenging runways globally, often bordered by snow-capped peaks and requiring skillful approaches even for experienced pilots. Weather conditions in the mountains can change rapidly, adding to the flying risks.
The most recent major commercial aviation disaster in Nepal occurred in January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed while landing in Pokhara, resulting in the deaths of all 72 people on board.
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In 2018, a Bangladeshi aircraft carrying more than 70 people crashed and caught fire while landing in Kathmandu, killing at least 49.
In 1992, a Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed during its approach to Kathmandu airport, killing all 167 people on board. Earlier that year, a Thai Airways plane crashed near the same airport, resulting in 113 fatalities.