18 out of 19 die as plane bursts into flames during takeoff; only pilot survives

In a tragic incident on Wednesday, eighteen people lost their lives when a Saurya Airlines plane crashed and caught fire shortly after take-off from Kathmandu, Nepal. The pilot, the sole survivor, is receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained during the accident.

The ill-fated flight, which was en route to Pokhara for a routine maintenance check, was carrying 17 employees of the airline, including technical staff, and two crew members. The crash occurred at approximately 11:15 local time (05:30 GMT), just minutes after departing from Tribhuvan International Airport, according to the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority’s search and rescue coordination centre.

Eyewitnesses described a loud noise, followed by the aircraft hitting the ground and igniting. One man recounted, “It sounded like a truck had overturned. The plane hit the ground and caught fire, then there was an explosion.”

Police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki informed BBC Nepali that the pilot sustained injuries to his eyes and forehead but is not in critical condition. Airport chief Jagannath Niraula stated the crash occurred almost immediately after take-off, adding that preliminary assessments suggested the plane had veered in the wrong direction.

Footage from the incident showed the plane tilting above the runway before crashing and being engulfed in flames and smoke. Rescue workers were seen navigating through the charred wreckage, with parts of the aircraft found inside an air freight container. Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene.

The passengers included 17 Nepali nationals and one Yemeni engineer. The head of marketing for Saurya Airlines, Mukesh Khanal, mentioned that the aircraft was scheduled for a month-long maintenance beginning Thursday. The reason for the crash remains unclear.

Kathmandu’s airport temporarily closed following the crash but reopened within hours. Nepal’s aviation sector has faced criticism for its safety record, with factors such as unpredictable weather and lax regulations often cited. The country witnessed its deadliest air crash in January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed, killing at least 72 people.

Saurya Airlines operates flights to five destinations within Nepal, utilising a fleet of three Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, as stated on the company’s website.