A passenger plane carrying 19 people crashed during takeoff in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, on Wednesday morning.
Fire crews are currently working to extinguish the flaming wreckage.
The Saurya Airlines plane crashed at around 11:15 am (0530 GMT), according to a statement from Nepal’s military.
The statement added that “rescue work is going on” with assistance from the army’s quick response team.
Kathmandu airport general manager Jagannath Niroula told AFP that further details were “still being confirmed.”
The Kathmandu Post reported that the flight had 19 people on board, including the air crew.
News portal Khabarhub reported that the airplane caught fire after skidding on the runway and was “releasing a significant plume of smoke.”
The plane was headed to Pokhara, a major tourism hub in Nepal.
Saurya Airlines exclusively flies Bombardier CRJ 200 jets, according to its website.
Nepal’s air industry has grown in recent years, transporting goods and people to remote areas as well as foreign trekkers and climbers.
However, it has faced safety issues due to inadequate training and maintenance.
The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns.
Nepal’s aviation safety record is further complicated by its challenging geography.
The country has some of the world’s most difficult runways, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and requiring tricky approaches.
Weather conditions can also change rapidly in the mountains, creating hazardous flying conditions.
The last major commercial flight accident in Nepal occurred in January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed while landing in Pokhara, killing all 72 people on board.
This was the deadliest accident in Nepal since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed near Kathmandu, killing all 167 people on board. Earlier in 1992, a Thai Airways aircraft also crashed near the same airport, resulting in 113 fatalities.
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