The captain of a Nepali passenger plane was the sole survivor Wednesday when a Saurya Airlines aircraft taking off from the capital Kathmandu skidded off the runway and exploded, officials said.
The disastrous impact that left 18 dead has been captured on video. The pilot was taken to the hospital for treatment.
“It is unclear why it crashed,” said Saurya Airlines marketing head Mukesh Khanal, according to Reuters.
The plane carrying 18 Nepalis and a Yemeni citizen, all employees of the carrier, was headed to a new airport in Pokhara. The technicians were scheduled to conduct routine maintenance, Reuters reported.
DEADLY NEPAL PLANE CRASH LIKELY CAUSED BY BASIC PILOT ERROR, REPORT FINDS
“Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft veered off to the right and crashed on the east side of the runway,” the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said in a statement.
NEPAL CRASH: VIDEO FROM INSIDE PLANE SHOWS PASSENGERS’ FINAL MOMENTS
Video showed firefighters combating the blaze as a plume of thick black smoke billowed into the sky.
Photos also captured first responders conducting search-and-rescue operations in the wreckage.
Reuters reported that the incident involving the 50-seat CRJ-200 aircraft caused the Kathmandu airport to close temporarily. The facility was able to reopen within hours.
The crash once again highlights the dangers of air travel in Nepal, which has had a poor air safety record.
The Himalayan country is home to eight of the world’s 14 tallest mountains, where airstrips are deemed difficult to reach – especially when planes must navigate near peaks shrouded in clouds. Kathmandu is particularly difficult to approach, as the airport is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, according to Aviation Safety Network.
Since 2000, around 350 passengers have died while riding Nepali aircraft. The country’s deadliest incident, which occurred in 1992, led to 167 deaths when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside.
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