A plane crash occurred in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, on Wednesday, claiming the lives of at least 18 people.
Gatekeepers News reports that the small Saurya Airlines plane veered off the runway during takeoff and caught fire, according to local officials.
“It was on its way for technical maintenance,” said Gyanendra Bhul, an information officer at Tribhuvan International Airport, in an interview with CNN.
One person survived the crash. The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that all 19 people on board were employees of the airline.
Photos released by Nepal police show thick smoke billowing from the burning aircraft on the airport runway. The crash occurred around 11 a.m. local time, during the plane’s departure from Kathmandu to Pokhara.
The aviation authority assured that “rescue operations began immediately and the situation was brought under control.”
This incident highlights Nepal’s poor aviation safety record, which has been plagued by insufficient training and maintenance. The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace due to safety concerns.
The country’s last major commercial flight accident occurred in January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines service crashed, killing all 72 aboard.
Authorities have yet to release the identity of those aboard the latest crash.
