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By Anezka Pichrtova
Live News Reporter
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Eighteen people died during a plane crash on Wednesday morning at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal.
A domestic Saurya Airlines plane bound for the city of Pokhara experienced a runway excursion during takeoff, causing it to flip and crash, resulting in a devastating fire, according to the local newspaper, The Kathmandu Post.
Eyewitnesses told the outlet that the plane was taking off from the southern end of the runway when its wing tip hit the ground, leading to the accident.
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The plane then plunged into a gorge between a hangar and the radar station, producing thick billows of smoke visible from the airport.
The crash resulted in casualties, with 18 bodies recovered from the site, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) confirmed to The Kathmandu Post. The flight had 19 people on board, including crew members. The sole survivor, Captain MR Shakya, was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment, airport spokesperson Subash Jha told the outlet.
Nepal Police said the aircraft was on its way to Pokhara for maintenance and all passengers were airline staff, The Kathmandu Post reported. According to its website, Saurya Airlines only uses one aircraft, the Bombardier CRJ 200, which can carry up to 50 passengers.
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The cause of the accident is still unknown, Newsweek contacted local authorities for comment.
Emergency response teams, including police and firefighters, undertook rescue operations at the crash site.
Nepal's airports are considered some of the most dangerous in the world. Tribhuvan International Airport in particular faces challenging geography as it's surrounded by gorges and valleys, making it difficult to navigate, the Economic Times reported. Concerns over the safety record of Nepalese airlines led the European Union to ban them from traveling to EU countries in 2013.
A 2019 safety report from Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority found that "the diversity of weather patterns together with hostile topography are the main challenges surrounding aircraft operations in Nepal."
The terrain is especially difficult for helicopters and small aircraft, which have 19 seats or less, according to the report. Nepal is home to the most challenging airports on the planet, as reported by Forbes, with Tenzin-Hillary Airport in Lukla at number one. This is due to issues such as strong winds, low pressure due to high altitude, and shorter runways.
In January 2023, Nepal saw its worst domestic plane crash in history, according to The Kathmandu Post. The aircraft traveled the same route as the Saurya Airlines plane and crashed just a few minutes before landing killing 68 out of the 72 people on board.
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