18 people died in Saurya Airline crash in Kathmandu, pilot narrowly escaped

The pilot of the Saurya Airlines plane that crashed at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is the only survivor of the accident, according to information received from Tribhuvan International Airport.

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— TIA, Kathmandu (@TIACAO2) July 24, 2024

Tribhuvan International Airport said in an update that 18 bodies have been recovered from the spot and only 1 person survived the accident. “The Surya Airlines CRJ7 (register-9NAME) on a flight to Pokhara took off from Kathmandu at 11:11 am local time, turned right and crashed into a spot on the eastern side of the runway. The fire was reportedly brought under control and rescue operations were launched immediately. 18 bodies were recovered and 1 injured person was rescued and taken to hospital,” TIA said.

Earlier, Nepal Police said that 15 bodies have been recovered from the accident site. All the passengers were employees of Saurya Airlines. The plane was being taken to Pokhara for maintenance.

The pilot, Manish Shakya, 37, was rescued from the aircraft and was rushed to KMC Hospital in Sinamangal.

The aircraft 9N-AME (CRJ 200) was carrying only technical staff of the airline and no passengers. TIA Information Officer Gyanendra Bhul confirmed that some technical staff were on board the aircraft.

The plane crashed shortly after taking off from the runway at around 11:00 am today. Smoke was seen coming out of the plane after the accident. Fire department and security personnel including Nepal Police and Nepal Army have been deployed at the accident site and they are currently trying to control the situation.

Meanwhile, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has been closed following the accident on Wednesday morning, affecting dozens of flights. The closure includes all flights to and from the airport.

Domestic flights have been halted at various domestic airports, while international flights have been halted or diverted to other airports, reports Himalayan Times. The airport will remain closed until rescue operations are completed.