The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (NCAA) reports that a regional passenger aircraft operated by Saurya Airlines crashed and caught fire on Wednesday while taking off from the country’s capital, Kathmandu, killing eighteen passengers.
According to the NCAA, the airplane, carrying 17 technicians and two crew members, was headed for routine maintenance at Nepal’s recently opened Pokhara airport, which has hangars for maintaining aircraft.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal stated in a statement that “shortly after takeoff… the aircraft veered off to the right and crashed on the east side of the runway.”
According to Saurya, one engineer was from Yemen and the other eighteen passengers were nationals of Nepal.
The spokesperson for Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Tej Bahadur Poudyal, stated that “only the captain was rescued alive and is receiving treatment at a hospital.”
Images on television showed firefighters attempting to put out the fire and billowing clouds of black smoke into the sky. Additionally, they displayed the jet hovering just above the runway before it tipped to the right and crashed.
Video of Crash Scene of Bombardier CRJ-200 in Nepal
Video from Reuters showed locals watching as rescue personnel searched through the burned out wreckage of the aircraft, which was scattered across verdant fields, and as bodies were transferred to ambulances on stretchers.
“On Thursday, the aircraft was to undergo a month-long maintenance program. The cause of the crash is unknown, according to Saurya Airlines’ marketing head Mukesh Khanal.
The accident momentarily shuttered the Kathmandu airport, but authorities reported it reopened in a few of hours.
The aircraft, registered 9N-AME, is a 50-seater Bombardier CRJ-200, according to a Saurya Airlines representative.
As per the flight tracking provided by Flightradar24, Saurya is presently flying two CRJ-200 regional planes, which were previously held by Bombardier Canada before being acquired by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2020.
A second CRJ-200 is reportedly in Saurya’s fleet.
The Canadian company MHI RJ Aviation Group, to which Bombardier forwarded inquiries regarding the incident, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Since its establishment in 2014, Saurya has reportedly brought the “jet experience” to Nepal’s domestic routes and offers flights to five locations, according to its website.
Many airlines in the Himalayan nation operate to tiny airports in isolated slopes and close to cloud-covered peaks, contributing to Nepal’s dismal record for air safety. Eight of the world’s fourteen highest mountain summits are located in Nepal.
The nation’s primary airport is surrounded by mountains and is situated in the centre of the Kathmandu Valley. This affects the direction and strength of the wind in the area, making takeoff and landing difficult for pilots.
Since 2000, there have been about 350 fatal plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal. In 1992, a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside while it was approaching Kathmandu, resulting in the bloodiest event to date—167 deaths.
Since 2000, aircraft or helicopter crashes in Nepal have claimed the lives of about 350 people, earning the Himalayan nation criticism for its dismal record on aviation safety.
In 1992, a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside while it was approaching Kathmandu, resulting in the bloodiest event to date—167 deaths.
Most recently, a Yeti Airlines catastrophe in January 2023 claimed the lives of at least 72 people. It was later determined that the pilots’ error in turning off the power was the cause of the tragedy.
Source: Reuters
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Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
