A Saurya Airlines flight carrying 19 people crashed during take-off at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday. Bodies of 18 people onboard flight 9N-AME have been confirmed dead, as per reports.
The pilot of the plane, Captain Manish Shakya, is the lone survivor who has been rushed to KMC Hospital in Sinamangal, as per TIA Spokesperson Subash Jha.
The TIA said “CRJ7 (Reg-9NAME) of Sourya Airlines took off from Kathmandu at 11:11 am local time during the flight to Pokhara, turned right and crashed at a place on the east side of the runway. It is reported that the fire was brought under control and the rescue work was started immediately. The dead bodies of 18 people were recovered and 1 injured person was rescued and taken to the hospital.”
Notably, this was a test flight, hence there were no regular passengers on the aircraft. The people on the plane included technicians and staff of the airline. The plane was departing from Kathmandu to Pokhara.
According to officials at Tribhuvan International Airport, the Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft crashed during take-off at around 11.11 AM, causing it to skid off the runway and catch fire. A team of firefighters was deployed to extinguish the fire that released a huge plume of smoke.
The plane was taking off from the Southern-end of the runway (Koteshwor side). Videos of the crash have appeared on social media, which show that the plane suddenly make a sharp right turn right immediately after take-off and its wing tip hit the ground.
Shocking footage of #Saurya #Airlines flight crash today at #TIA, Kathmandu. The flight, bound for Pokhara, experienced a runway excursion, leading to a tragic accident. Nineteen people, including crew members, were on board. As per preliminary media reports, the plane flipped… pic.twitter.com/nDuTwEl4dx
— Niraj B (@NirajNPL) July 24, 2024
The plane caught fire immediately, and then plunged into a gorge on the eastern side of the runway. Photos show that the aircraft’s fuselage in severely damaged condition on the airport grounds.
A Saurya Airlines CRJ-200 had crashed on take-off at Kathmandu-Tribhuvan Intl Airport(VNKT), Nepal with 19 people on board. The flight was operating to Pokhara.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) July 24, 2024
As per preliminary information, there could be more than 4 fatalities.#aircraft #accident pic.twitter.com/rtVQukjh8n
Pilot 37-year-old Manish Shakya was rescued from the wreckage, while the bodies of 18 others were recovered from the crash site.
The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) was closed following the crash on Wednesday morning, affecting dozens of flights. However later the operations were resumed as the runway and other infrastructure was not damaged due to the crash. The closure had impacted both domestic and international flights, with domestic flights halted at various domestic airports and international flights either put on hold or diverted to other airports.
As per planespotters.net, the Bombardier CRJ-200 plane was manufactured in April 2003, and was delivered to Saurya Airlines in 2017 after it changed several owners after the first user Atlantic Coast Airlines.
