Nepal: 18 Killed as Saurya Airlines Plane Crashes During Takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport

All, 19 people were aboard the plane, including 2 pilots and 17 technology specialists. Officials at the airport said that the plane departed at around 11:10 AM local time, but deviated from its course and aground in the eastern part of the airport. The reason of the crash is yet to be established, however, preliminary findings show that here was very poor visibility when the crash occurred.

Fires raged and by the time of emergency services’ arrival, firefighters had to fight the burning and rescue workers had to look for the survivors. Nevertheless, there was corpse only the pilot who was critically injured with eye damage and was rushed to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital. It is further stated anemias are not life-threatening, and his condition is stable.

Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority has said it has begun investigation into the flying accident that claimed the lives of forty-four people. For instance, Tribhuvan International Airport which is the sole international and domestic airport of Nepal operation was closed for sometimes after the genre but has been reopened.

This incident brings Nepal’s grim tale of air safety or rather lack of it, in the limelight where close to 350 people have lost their lives in plane or helicopter crashes in the past one and half decades alone. The tragic incident which caused the maximum number of casualties was in 1992 when an Airbus operated by Pakistan International Airlines bumped into a hill, while on its way to Kathmandu, taking the lives of 167 people.

This Nepalese airline Saurya Airlines serves routes within the domestic territory of Nepal and uses Bombardier CRJ-200 regional airliners. The necessary parties, including the airline administration and the administrations of aviation, are to investigate the cause of this sad incident.