At least 18 bodies were recovered after a private plane belonging to Saurya Airlines skidded off the runway while taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal on Wednesday morning, July 24. The crash took place when the aircraft veered off the runway and burst into flames.
The aircraft was carrying 19 passengers, including two crew members and 17 technicians, to Pokhara city for maintenance work, reported news agency Reuters, quoting Airport Security Chief Arjun Chand Thakuri.
Footage of Plane Crash
Dramatic footage from the spot showed scenes of the plane speeding down the runway before a fire broke out, with high flames and thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage.
The accident occurred on Wednesday around 11 am, when a Pokhara-bound flight suffered a runway excursion during takeoff. According to the The Himalayan Times newspaper, the plane was only carrying technical staff of the airline. The pilot of the aircraft has been taken to a hospital, a security official deployed at the airport.
A fire that broke out from the aircraft has been extinguished. Police and firefighters are carrying out rescue operations at the crah 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.