Nepal Plane Crash Highlights: A Saurya Airlines plane with 19 people on board has slipped off the runway and crashed at Kathmandu airport, state television said. According to Reuters, 18 bodies have been recovered after the crash. The plane, en route to Pokhara, was carrying nineteen people, including the aircrew, when the accident occurred around 11 am.
Rescue operations are currently underway. The pilot of the aircraft has been taken to a hospital, a security official deployed at the airport told PTI without giving further details. A fire that broke out from the aircraft has been put off, he added. Police and firefighters are carrying out rescue operations at the accident site. Details about the condition of the passengers were not known.
Three members of a family, including a child, were among 18 people killed when a Nepalese plane crashed and caught fire shortly after taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport here on Wednesday.
The Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft of Saurya Airlines, carrying 19 people, including two crew members and technical staff of the airline, was bound for Pokhara International Airport for regular maintenance service when the accident occurred at 11.11 am (local time). (PTI)
The aviation authority identified one of the passengers as a child named Adhiraj Sharma, who was the son of Manu Raj Sharma, a technician of Saurya Airlines. Sharma's wife Priza Khatiwada and their four-year old son Adhiraj died in the crash. (PTI)
Recounting the harrowing experience of witnessing the Nepal plane crash that claimed 18 lives, the eyewitnesses said that if the plane wouldn't have hit the container, it would have definitely hit the residential area, ANI reported.
After a brief shutdown following the plane crash that killed 18 people, the Kathmandu airport has now reopened, news agency Reuters reported.
We take a look at the air crashes that have taken place in Nepal since 2000:
JULY 24, 2024: At least 18 people were killed when a Bombardier CRJ 200 plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.
JULY 11, 2023: Six people were killed in a helicopter crash in central Nepal. The chopper, which departed from Solukhunvhu district, home to Mount Everest and other high mountain peaks, had five Mexican nationals and one Nepali pilot on board.
JAN 15, 2023: A twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft carrying 72 people, operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines, crashed in Pokhara, killing all on board. It was the worst air crash in the country since 1992 when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it ploughed into a hill as it tried to land in Kathmandu.
MAY 29, 2022: Sixteen Nepalis, four Indians and two Germans died on a De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter aircraft that crashed 15 minutes after taking off from Pokhara, 125 km (80 miles) west of Kathmandu.
FEB 27, 2019: A helicopter crashed in bad weather in eastern Nepal, killing all seven people on board, including the tourism minister.
MARCH 12, 2018: Fifty-one of 71 people on a Bangladeshi airliner operated by US-Bangla Airlines died when it crashed in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the Nepalese capital’s hill-ringed airport.
FEB 26, 2016: Two people were feared dead after a small plane crashed in western Nepal’s Kalikot district. It was operated by Kasthamandap Airlines.
FEB 24, 2016: A small plane crashed in bad weather, killing all 23 people on board. The Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Tara Air, was on a flight from Pokhara to Jomsom in western Nepal.
FEB 16, 2014: All 18 people on a small plane that crashed in bad weather were killed. The Twin Otter aircraft was operated by state-run Nepal Airlines Corp.
SEPT 28, 2012: A small propeller-driven Dornier aircraft struck a bird and crashed shortly after takeoff from Kathmandu, killing 19 people, including seven British and five Chinese passengers.
Read More: Saurya Airlines flight crash in Kathmandu – A look at Nepal's long history of plane crashes
The video of moments before the plane crashed has surfaced online. Viewer discretion is advised. Watch:
VIDEO | Nepal Plane Crash: Visuals of Pokhara-bound Saurya Airlines plane crashing at the Tribhuvan International Airport in #kathmandu. At least 19 people were on board the aircraft when it crashed earlier today.#nepalplanecrash #kathmanduplanecrash
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 24, 2024
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/k3vJwEaIiK
The plane, en route to Pokhara, crashed at around 11 am. Out of the 19 people on board the aircraft, 18 have been reported dead. According to report, the pilot has survived the accident.
Watch video from crash site:
#watch | Plane crashes at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal's Kathmandu. Details awaited pic.twitter.com/9CudlsmFKS
— ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2024
Nepal’s air industry has experienced significant growth, facilitating the movement of goods and people between remote areas and attracting foreign trekkers and climbers. However, this expansion has been marred by poor safety standards due to inadequate training and maintenance, exacerbated by the country's challenging geography. So much so that the European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace due to these safety concerns.
Nepal's airports are among the most difficult in the world, surrounded by snow-capped peaks that makes the air current uneven. Rapid weather changes in the mountains further complicate flying conditions.
The country’s last major aviation disaster occurred in January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed while landing in Pokhara, resulting in 72 fatalities. This was Nepal’s deadliest crash since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed near Kathmandu, killing 167 people.
The pilot survived and was taken to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital for treatment, said a doctor at the hospital who was not authorized to speak to media. The pilot has injuries to the eyes but is not in any danger, the doctor said. (AP)
Last year in January, a Yeti Airlines flight crashed near Nepal’s Pokhara, killing all 72 people on board. The plane plummeted into a steep gorge and broke into pieces before bursting into flames. An investigation report by the government found that the crash was probably caused due to pilot’s error.
At least 18 people out of 19 on board the Saurya Airlines aircraft have been confirmed dead after the plane crashed at Kathmandu Airport.