Pilot is sole survivor after plane carrying 19 people crashes in Nepal ...
The pilot is the only survivor after a domestic plane carrying 19 people crashed shortly after takeoff in Nepal.
The plane was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians to the city of Pokhara for maintenance checks, airport security chief Arjun Chand Thakuri said.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has said the Saurya Airlines plane had taken off at around 11.10am local time (6.25am UK time) from Tribhuvan International Airport in the capital Kathmandu.
The plane was in the air when it turned right and crashed in the eastern section of the airport, the statement added.
TV broadcasts have shown the plane flying a little above the runway and then tilting before it crashed.
They also showed firefighters trying to put out the flaming wreckage as thick black smoke rose into the sky.
Image: Emergency services work at the accident site. Pic: NepaliArmyHQ/Reuters
Image: Pic: Reuters
The fire has now been brought under control as images show rescue workers rummaging through the charred remains of the plane.
Police official Basanta Rajauri said authorities have pulled out the bodies of all 18 people who died.
"Only the captain was rescued alive and is receiving treatment at a hospital," said Tej Bahadur Poudyal, the spokesman for Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport.
Image: Nepal army personnel stand by the plane crash site. Pic: AP
Image: Rescuers search a plane crash site at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. Pic: AP
The pilot was taken to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital with eye injuries but his condition is not life-threatening, a doctor at the hospital said.
It is not yet clear what caused the crash.
It is monsoon rainy season in Kathmandu but it was not raining at the time of the crash. However, visibility was low across the capital.
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Image: Pic: NepaliArmyHQ/Reuters
Image: Pic: AP
Saurya operates domestic flights in Nepal with two Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets, both around 20 years old, according to Flight Radar 24.
Tribhuvan International Airport, the main airport in Nepal for international and domestic flights, was temporarily closed following the crash but has since reopened, an official said.
Nepal has been criticised for a poor air safety record, with nearly 350 people having died in plane or helicopter crashes in the Himalayan country since 2000.
The deadliest incident occurred in 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside while approaching Kathmandu, killing 167 people.
Nepal's recent history of deadly air disasters
The Himalayan country has proved to be a dangerous place for air travel, with small airports set in remote hills and mountains shrouded in clouds.
July 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.
January 2023
A twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft carrying 72 people, operated by Nepal's Yeti Airlines, crashed in Pokhara, killing all on board.
May 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.
February 2019
A helicopter crashed in bad weather in eastern Nepal, killing all seven people on board, including the tourism minister.
March 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.
February 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.
February 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.
September 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.
September 2011
A small plane carrying foreign tourists to view Mount Everest crashed in bad weather near Kathmandu, killing all 19 people on board.
December 2010
A small plane crashed in the Himalayan foothills of remote east Nepal, killing all 22 people onboard. The Twin Otter aircraft was operated by Tara Air.
August 2010
Fourteen people - including four Americans, a Japanese and British national - were killed when their small plane crashed in bad weather in Nepal. It was operated by Agni Air.
October 2008
A small Twin Otter plane crashed in the remote mountains of northeast Nepal, killing at least 18 people, mostly foreigners.
March 2008
Four UN arms monitors were among at least 10 people killed in a helicopter crash in Nepal.
June 2006
A Twin Otter passenger plane operated by Yeti Airlines crashed minutes before landing in the west of the country, killing all nine people on board.
May 2004
A Twin Otter cargo plane crashed in the Mount Everest region, killing its three crew. It was operated by Yeti Airlines.
August 2002
Another Twin Otter plane, carrying foreign tourists, slammed into a mountain in bad weather in Nepal, killing all 18 people on board. It was operated by Shangrila Air.
July 2000
A Canadian-built Twin Otter passenger plane crashed in western Nepal, killing all 25 people on board. It was operated by state-owned Royal Nepal Airlines.
