18 killed as plane crashes during takeoff at Kathmandu airport, pilot lone survivor

Kathmandu: A private airlines' Pokhara-bound plane crashed during takeoff at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) here, killing 18 of the 19 people on board.

The pilot of the Saurya Airlines plane survived the crash and was taken to hospital, officials said. The crash took place when the aircraft veered off the runway and burst into flames.

Footage from the spot showed dramatic scenes of the plane speeding down the runway before a fire broke out with high flames and thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage.

At least 19 people, including aircrew, were aboard the private Saurya Airlines plane which met with the accident at around 11 am, sources said.

The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported that 18 bodies have been recovered from the crash site.  “The accident occurred after the Pokhara-bound flight suffered a runway excursion during takeoff,” said TIA Spokesperson Subash Jha.

The Himalayan Times newspaper reported that the plane was only carrying technical staff of the airline.”There were no passengers on board but the plane was carrying few technical staff,” Gyanendra Bhul, information officer at the TIA, said.

The pilot of the aircraft has been taken to a hospital, a security official deployed at the airport told PTI without giving further details.  A fire that broke out from the aircraft has been put off, he added. Police and firefighters are carrying out rescue operations at the accident site.

Authorities have shut down the TIA following the plane crash, the MyRepublica news portal reported. Dozens of international and domestic flights have been affected due to the airport closure.