18 people killed in Saurya Airline crash in Kathmandu, Pilot survives crash

The Pilot of the Saurya Airline plane that crashed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu is the lone survivor of the crash according to an update from the Tribhuvan International Airport.

In an update, the Tribhuvan International Airport said that 18 dead bodies were recovered from the site and only 1 person survived the crash. The TIA said “CRJ7 (Reg-9NAME) of Sourya Airlines took off from Kathmandu at 11:11 am local time during the flight to Pokhara, turned right and crashed at a place on the east side of the runway. It is reported that the fire was brought under control and the rescue work was started immediately. The dead bodies of 18 people were recovered and 1 injured person was rescued and taken to the hospital.”

Earlier, the Nepal Police informed that 15 bodies were recovered from the crash site. All of the passengers were staff members of the Saurya Airlines. The aircraft was being taken to Pokhara for maintenance.

The pilot, 37-year-old Manish Shakya was rescued from the plane and was rushed to the KMC Hospital in Sinamangal.

The plane 9N-AME (CRJ 200) was only carrying technical staff of the airline, with no passengers on board. Gyanendra Bhul, information officer at TIA, confirmed that the plane was carrying a few technical staff members.

The plane crashed shortly after taking off from the runway, at around 11:00 AM today. Following the crash, smoke was seen coming from the plane. Firefighters and security personnel, including Nepal Police and the Nepali Army, have been deployed to the crash site and are currently trying to control the situation.

Meanwhile, the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has been closed following the crash on Wednesday morning, affecting dozens of flights. The shutdown includes all outbound and inbound flights to the Airport.

The Himalayan Times reported that domestic flights have been stopped at various domestic airports, while international flights have been put on hold or diverted to other airports. The airport will remain closed until the rescue operation is completed.