A tragic accident occurred on Wednesday, when a Saurya Airlines aircraft crashed during takeoff at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 people. The plane, which was bound for Pokhara, had 19 individuals onboard, including the aircrew, at the time of the incident.
The crash happened around 11 am, and emergency services are currently at the scene of the accident conducting rescue operations. According to Premnath Thakur, a spokesperson for Tribhuvan International Airport, the pilot was transported to a hospital, though details about his condition remain unclear.
The Saurya Airlines flight caught fire shortly after the crash, with significant smoke reported from the site. The fire has since been extinguished, but the current status of the remaining passengers is unknown.
Saurya Airlines operates exclusively with Bombardier CRJ 200 jets. Nepal’s aviation industry, though expanding rapidly in recent years, faces ongoing safety issues related to inadequate training and maintenance. This has led to a ban on Nepali carriers by the European Union due to safety concerns.
Nepal has a history of flight disasters, averaging about one major incident per year. Notable past incidents include the January 2023 crash of a Yeti Airlines flight in Pokhara, which killed all 72 aboard, and the May 2022 Tara Air crash in Mustang district that claimed 22 lives. In 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines flight crash near Kathmandu resulted in 51 fatalities and 20 injuries.
