Plane crash in Nepal kills 18 people; pilot alone survives

The Saurya Airlines plane veered to the right shortly after takeoff and crashed on the east side of the runway at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Videos posted online show the plane crashing into the ground at a sharp angle and fire engulfing the wreck. Emergency workers brought the blaze under control. Rescue workers found that only the pilot had survived.

Saurya is a local airline that operates domestic flights with two CRJ-200 jets, according to Flight Radar 24. Officials did not immediately say what caused the crash.

Who was on board? The plane was carrying two crew members and 17 other airline employees, Nepal police said. It was traveling to the new Pokhara International Airport in central Nepal. The passengers were all Nepali citizens except one person from Yemen.

Does Nepal have a history of plane crashes? More than 300 people have died in more than 20 plane and helicopter crashes in Nepal since 2000, according to data from the Aviation Safety database. A Yeti Airlines flight crashed in January 2023, resulting in the deaths of all 72 people on board. The 2023 crash occurred when the pilots mistakenly cut power, sending the plane into an aerodynamic stall.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Muncy’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about how Boeing has had to make adjustments to salvage its reputation for safety.