Kathmandu, 24 July

A private Nepalese domestic plane bound for Pokhara crashed during takeoff at the Tribhuvan International Airport here on Wednesday, killing 18 technical staff and injuring the pilot of the aircraft carrying 19 people.

The pilot of the Saurya Airlines plane survived the crash and was taken to hospital, officials said. The crash took place around 11 am 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 breaks out with high flames and thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage.

The Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft was only carrying technical staff of the airline, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported. ”There were no passengers on board but the plane was carrying few technical staff,” Gyanendra Bhul, information officer at the TIA, 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 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.