No fewer than 18 individuals perished when a small plane veered off the runway in Nepal’s capital on Wednesday, as reported by local officials.
According to CNN, the Civil Aviation Authority stated that one person survived the Saurya Airlines crash. All 19 people on board were employees of the airline, according to police.
Photographs from the Nepal police depicted thick smoke rising from the burning aircraft on the airport runway.
The accident occurred during the plane’s takeoff from Kathmandu, heading towards Pokhara, around 11 a.m. local time, according to Gyanendra Bhul, an information officer at Tribhuvan International Airport, who spoke to CNN.
The aircraft was on a mission for technical maintenance, Bhul added.
“Rescue efforts were started immediately and the situation was brought under control,” stated the aviation authority.
This incident underscores the persistent dangers associated with air travel in Nepal, widely regarded as one of the most hazardous places to fly due to a combination of factors, including its mountainous terrain.
Nepal, which boasts eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, has a troubled history of air accidents.
The country’s weather can shift unexpectedly, and many airstrips are located in hard-to-access, mountainous regions.
Although Nepal has made strides in improving its safety standards in recent years, it still faces challenges. The lack of investment in aging aircraft further exacerbates the risks of flying.
The previous year marked Nepal’s worst plane crash in over three decades, with at least 68 fatalities resulting from a Yeti Airlines flight crash near Pokhara.
In May 2022, a Tara Air flight departing from Pokhara collided with a mountain, resulting in 22 deaths.
Earlier in 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines flight traveling from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Kathmandu crashed upon landing and ignited, causing 51 fatalities.
In 2016, another Tara Air flight crashed while flying the same route as the 2023 incident.
