Pilot only survivor of Nepal plane crash

Some 18 people were killed after a plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu on Wednesday.

The pilot, who is currently receiving treatment in hospital, is the only survivor of the fatal accident.

Nineteen people were on the Saurya Airlines test flight, including technical staff members of the airline and two crew members.

Nepal’s aviation industry has a poor safety record – that has been attributed to multiple factors over the years, from unpredictable weather to lax regulations.

The incident happened at around 11:15 local time (05:30 GMT), a few minutes after the plane took off from the Tribhuvan International Airport, according to a statement by the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority’s search and rescue coordination centre.

The Saurya Airlines test flight on Wednesday was headed to Pokhara, as part of a routine maintenance check.

Airport chief Jagannath Niraula told BBC Nepali that the accident “happened as soon as it left the ground, in not even a minute”, though airport authorities have not been able to confirm the cause of the accident.

However, the head of the Tribhuvan International Airport said that an initial assessment showed that the plane had flown in the wrong direction.

“As soon as it took off, it turned right, [when it] should have turned left,” Mr Niraula told BBC Nepali.

Footage of the incident show the plane tilting above the runway before crashing into the ground, into flames. It quickly became enveloped in fire and smoke.

Photos show rescue workers making their way through the wreckage, with large parts of the plane completely blackened and charred. Photos of the aftermath also appeared to show parts of the plane inside an air freight container.

Fire engines and ambulances were rushed to the spot after the incident.

Seventeen of those who died are Nepali while one is a Yemeni national, who was working as an engineer.

Police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki told BBC Nepali that the pilot sustained injuries to his eyes and forehead, but is not in any life threatening danger.

Nepal has been criticised for its poor air safety record. In January 2023, at least 72 people were killed in a Yeti Airlines crash that was later attributed to its pilots mistakenly cutting the power.

It was deadliest air crash in Nepal since 1992, when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane died when it crashed on approach to Kathmandu Airport.

Saruya Airlines operates flights to five destinations within Nepal, with a fleet of three Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, according to the company’s website.