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Nepal plane crash: Saurya Airlines plane crashes while taking off; 18 feared dead

A domestic plane carrying 19 people on board slid off the runway and crashed on Wednesday while trying to take off from the airport in Nepal’s capital.

Nepal plane crash: A domestic plane carrying 19 people on board slid off the runway and crashed on Wednesday while trying to take off from the airport in Nepal’s capital. It is not clear how the plane slid and in what condition the people on board were. The Saurya Airlines plane was flying from Kathmandu to the resort city of Pokhara.

According to the latest update, all 19 people on board the plane died in the crash, except the pilot, who is being treated at Kathmandu Medical College Hospital.

Local media photos showed smoke rising and the plane’s debris scattered in a ditch. The fire has been brought under control. Tribhuvan International Airport, the main airport for international and domestic flights in Nepal, has been closed as emergency crews work. It is the monsoon rainy season in Kathmandu, but it was not raining at the time of the accident. However, visibility was low in the capital. Saurya Airlines operates the Bombardier CRJ 200 on domestic routes.

How did the crash happen?
A domestic plane carrying 19 people skidded off the runway and crashed while trying to take off from the airport in Kathmandu. The surviving pilot was rushed to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Pilot rescued
The pilot was rescued and is undergoing treatment after the crash, police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki told AFP. However, he said many people may not have survived.

At least 18 bodies recovered
At least 18 bodies were recovered from a small plane that caught fire after skidding off the runway in Nepal, Reuters quoted the official as saying.