At least 18 people were killed when a small plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on Wednesday, officials said.
The plane, which caught fire during takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians to Pokhara city for maintenance checks, Airport Security Chief Arjun Chand Thakuri said.
Out of the 19 people on board, 18 have been killed. However, the pilot survived and is being treated at a hospital.
The plane belonged to local Saurya Airlines.
Saurya operates domestic flights in Nepal with two Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets, both around 20 years old, according to Flight Radar 24.
Most recently, at least 72 people were killed in a Yeti Airlines crash in January 2023 that was later attributed to the pilots mistakenly cutting off power.
