Nepal, July 24: At least 18 people were killed after a Saurya Airlines aircraft crashed during take-off at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal’s Kathmandu on Wednesday.
According to news agency PTI, 19 people, including aircrew, were aboard the Pokhara-bound plane which met with the accident at around 11am.
Police and firefighters are carrying out rescue operations at the accident site. The pilot of the aircraft has been taken to a hospital.
News portal Khabarhub reported that the Saurya Airlines airplane had caught fire and was “releasing a significant plume of smoke”.
A fire that broke out from the aircraft has been put off, he added.
The Saurya Airlines flight was enroute to Pokhara, an important tourism hub in the Himalayan nation.
Saurya Airlines exclusively flies Bombardier CRJ 200 jets, according to its website.
Nepal’s air industry has boomed in recent years, carrying goods and people between hard-to-reach areas as well as foreign trekkers and climbers. But it has been plagued by poor safety due to insufficient training and maintenance. The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns.
Nepal averages about one flight disaster a year. Since 2010, the Himalayan destination has witnessed at least 12 fatal plane crashes, including the latest one.
In January 2023, a tragic accident took place when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed near the central city of Pokhara. All 72 people on board, including passengers and crew members, lost their lives in the incident. The aircraft plummeted into a steep gorge, breaking into pieces and bursting into flames as it approached Pokhara.
On May 29, 2022, a Tara Airplane crashed in Mustang district, resulting in the fatalities of all 22 individuals aboard.
In 2018, a tragic accident occurred near Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport involving a US-Bangla Airlines flight. The plane crash-landed, causing the death of 51 people, while 20 others sustained serious injuries.
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