CNN
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At least 18 people were killed when a small plane skidded off the runway in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on Wednesday, local officials said.
Tribhuvan International Airport spokesperson Gyanendra Pul said the pilot, who has been hospitalized, survived the Sourya Airlines crash. Police said all those on board – 18 Nepalis and one Yemeni national – were employees of the carrier.
Images of Nepal Police showed Thick smoke from a burning plane on an airport runway.
Bull said the plane crashed while taking off from Kathmandu to Pokhara at around 11am local time. Also, the aircraft was undergoing technical maintenance.
Rescue operations were started immediately and the situation was brought under control, the Civil Aviation Authority said.
Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
A Shourya Airlines flight catches fire at the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal on July 24, 2024.
The crash once again highlights the dangers of air travel in Nepal, a country considered one of the most dangerous places to fly due to several factors, including its mountainous terrain.
The Himalayan country has eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Everest. There is a record of plane crashes. Its weather can change suddenly, and airstrips are usually located in hard-to-reach, mountainous terrain.
Airplanes with 19 or fewer seats are more likely to crash due to these difficulties.A 2019 Security Report From Civil Aviation Authority.
Sujan Gurung/AP
Rescue workers search the plane crash site at Tribhuvan International Airport.
Although the country has made improvements in safety standards in recent years, challenges remain, and a lack of investment in aging aircraft only adds to the risks of flying.
Last year, Nepal suffered its worst plane crash For more than 30 years At least when 68 people died When the Eti Airlines flight crashed near Pokhara.
In May 2022, Tara Air took off from Pokhara Hit a hill22 people were killed.
In early 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Bangladesh's capital Dhaka to Kathmandu Crashed on landing 51 people died in the fire.
And in 2016, a Tara Air flight crumbled 2023 while flying the same route as the accident.
This story has been updated with additional information.
