A Nepalese passenger plane crashed and burst into flames after taking off from the capital Kathmandu on Wednesday, killing almost everyone on board, authorities said. (Photo credit: Reuters)
The captain of a Nepali passenger jet was the sole survivor after a Saurya Airlines plane skidded off the runway and exploded after taking off from the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, on Wednesday, authorities said.
The horrific crash, which killed 18 people, was captured on video. The pilot was taken to hospital for treatment.
“The reason for the crash is unclear,” Saurya Airlines marketing director Mukesh Khanal said, according to Reuters.
The plane, carrying 18 Nepalese and one Yemeni employees of the airline, was en route to Pokhara’s new airport where technicians were scheduled to carry out routine maintenance, Reuters reported.
Nepal plane crash caused by basic pilot error, report says
On July 24, 2024, a fire broke out at the site of a plane crash at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Umesh Karki/AFP/Getty Images)
“Shortly after takeoff, the plane veered to the right and crashed on the east side of the runway,” Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.
Nepal crash: In-flight video shows passengers’ final moments
Footage showed firefighters battling to put out the blaze as thick, black smoke rose into the sky.
Authorities are investigating the wreckage site of a Saurya Airlines plane crash that occurred in Kathmandu, Nepal on July 24, 2024. (Prakash Matema/AFP/Getty Images)
Pictures also showed emergency responders carrying out search and rescue operations amid the wreckage.
Reuters reported that Kathmandu airport was temporarily closed after the crash of the 50-seater CRJ-200 aircraft, but it reopened within hours.
Emergency crews conduct search and rescue operations after a plane crash in Kathmandu, Nepal, July 24, 2024. (Sunil Pradhan/Anadolu/Getty Images)
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The crash once again highlighted the dangers of air travel in Nepal, a country with a poor aviation safety record.
The Himalayan nation is home to eight of the 14 highest mountains in the world, making it difficult to build runways on those mountains, especially when planes have to fly close to the cloud-covered peaks. Kathmandu’s location in a valley surrounded by mountains makes it particularly difficult to access, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
Some 350 passengers have died on board Nepali aircraft since 2000. The country’s deadliest accident occurred in 1992, when 167 people were killed. Pakistan International Airlines Airbus It crashed into a hillside.
