Eighteen people lost their lives when a plane crashed and ignited while taking off from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. The sole survivor of Wednesday’s disaster is the pilot, who was rescued from the blazing wreckage and is currently hospitalized.
The Saurya Airlines flight, en route to Pokhara—a popular tourist destination in western Nepal—was carrying 17 employees, including technical staff, and two crew members. The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport at approximately 11:15 local time (05:30 GMT).
Nepal’s aviation sector has long struggled with safety issues, attributed to a range of factors including unpredictable weather and lax regulatory oversight.
According to the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority’s search and rescue coordination center, the flight was involved in a routine maintenance check when it crashed. Police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki reported that the pilot sustained injuries to his eyes and forehead but is not in life-threatening condition.
A witness in a nearby shop described hearing a loud noise, similar to a truck overturning, followed by an explosion after the plane hit the ground and caught fire. Airport chief Jagannath Niraula stated that the crash occurred almost immediately after takeoff, though the exact cause remains unclear. Preliminary assessments suggest that the plane may have veered in the wrong direction upon takeoff.
Footage from the scene shows the aircraft tilting before crashing and becoming engulfed in flames and smoke. Rescue workers were seen navigating the charred wreckage, with large sections of the plane blackened by fire. Images also revealed parts of the plane inside an air freight container.
The crash site was quickly attended by fire engines and ambulances. Among the deceased, seventeen were Nepali nationals, while one was a Yemeni engineer. The plane was set to undergo a month-long maintenance starting Thursday, though the cause of the crash remains unknown.
Kathmandu’s airport briefly closed following the accident but resumed operations within hours. Nepal’s aviation safety record has faced criticism, particularly following a January 2023 Yeti Airlines crash that resulted in 72 fatalities, the deadliest since the 1992 crash of a Pakistan International Airlines flight that killed 167 people.
Saurya Airlines operates flights to five destinations within Nepal using a fleet of three Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, according to the company’s website.
