A private airline plane crashed during takeoff at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, killing 18 people on board on Wednesday around 11 am, news agency PTI reported. Only the pilot of the Pokhara-bound Saurya Airlines survived the crash, officials told PTI. He is undergoing treatment in a hospital.
मिति २०८१।०४।०९ गते त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल, गौचर काठमाण्डौमा भएको सौर्य एयरलाइन्सको विमान दुर्घटना पश्चात उद्धार कार्यमा नेपाल प्रहरी pic.twitter.com/0t2OAh2DZK
— Nepal Police (@NepalPoliceHQ) July 24, 2024
Footage from the spot show the plane speeding down the runway before a fire broke out with high flames and thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage. The fire has been extinguished.
The Kathmandu Post reported that all the bodies have been recovered from the crash site. Police and firefighters are carrying out rescue operations at the accident site.
A plane crashed at Tribhuvan InternationaAirport in Kathmandu, Nepal, resulting in a major emergency response and investigation.
VC: ANI#NepalPlaneCrash #planecrash #TribhuvanInternationalAirport #nepal #Kathmandu pic.twitter.com/ndz0J9tnVD
— Mid Day (@mid_day) July 24, 2024
According to the Himalayan Times, the plane was carrying only the technical staff of the airline. “There were no passengers on board but the plane was carrying few technical staff,” Gyanendra Bhul, information officer at the TIA, said.
“The accident occurred after the Pokhara-bound flight suffered a runway excursion during takeoff,” TIA Spokesperson Subash Jha said.
Authorities have shut down the TIA following the plane crash, the MyRepublica news portal reported. Dozens of international and domestic flights have been affected owing to the airport closure.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
