18 dead as plane crashes in Kathmandu, pilot survives
Eighteen people were killed when a Saurya Airlines plane, 9N-AME (CRJ 200), crashed during takeoff at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, Nepal. The plane, en route to Pokhara, had 19 people on board. Pilot Manish Shakya, 37, was rescued from the wreckage and taken to a hospital in Sinamangal for treatment. According to Gyanendra Bhul, the TIA information officer, the plane was carrying the airline's technical staff.
Plane flipped and crashed into a gorge
After the crash, smoke was seen rising from the plane, prompting the deployment of police and firefighters for rescue operations. Eyewitnesses reported that the plane, taking off from the southern end of the runway, abruptly flipped, with the wing tip hitting the ground. The aircraft caught fire immediately and then plunged into a gorge on the runway's eastern side, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Watch: Plane crashes at TIA, Nepal
India's Kuber Group acquired Saurya Airlines in 2019
India's Kuber Group acquired Saurya Airlines in 2019 for 630 million Nepali rupees, according to the India Today. Plans to rebrand the airline as Kuber Airlines in 2021 were postponed. The Kathmandu airport had suspended all Saurya Airlines flights on December 6, 2018, due to unpaid debts. Operations resumed on March 8, 2019, after the airline settled part of its $355,000 debt to the airport, according to reports.
Nepal's troubling history with flight disasters
This crash adds to Nepal's unfortunate history of aviation disasters, averaging about one flight disaster per year. Since 2010, there have been at least 12 fatal plane crashes in the country. In January 2023, a Yeti Airlines flight crashed near Pokhara, resulting in the loss of all 72 people onboard. A Tara Air plane crashed in Mustang district in May 2022 with no survivors among the 22 individuals onboard.
