Eighteen of the 19 bodies on board a Kathmandu flight were recovered after the plane crashed at a Nepal airport on Wednesday, according to the country’s civil aviation authority. The flight, bound for Pokhara, included two crew members and 17 Saurya Airlines staff. Around 11 am, the plane caught fire, as confirmed by Nepali police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki to AFP.

The flight was being conducted for either technical or maintenance purposes. Following the crash, the pilot was taken to a hospital, as reported by a security official to PTI. The aircraft burst into flames after skidding off the runway during takeoff, a spokesperson from the airport informed NDTV.

The CRJ200 plane, capable of seating 50 passengers, failed to gain altitude upon takeoff, slid off the runway, fell down an embankment, and caught fire. Videos from the scene depict a large fire with plumes of smoke near Tribhuvan International Airport. Firefighters and the Nepal army quickly arrived at the crash site. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Tribhuvan International Airport is a tabletop airport situated atop a plateau, surrounded by deep gorges and valleys, making it one of the riskiest airports globally. Nepal's aviation industry has a notorious safety record, plagued by insufficient training and maintenance, contributing to its poor air safety reputation.

Eighteen of the 19 bodies on board a Kathmandu flight were recovered after the plane crashed at a Nepal airport on Wednesday, according to the country’s civil aviation authority. The flight, bound for Pokhara, included two crew members and 17 Saurya Airlines staff. Around 11 am, the plane caught fire, as confirmed by Nepali police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki to AFP.

The flight was being conducted for either technical or maintenance purposes. Following the crash, the pilot was taken to a hospital, as reported by a security official to PTI. The aircraft burst into flames after skidding off the runway during takeoff, a spokesperson from the airport informed NDTV.

The CRJ200 plane, capable of seating 50 passengers, failed to gain altitude upon takeoff, slid off the runway, fell down an embankment, and caught fire. Videos from the scene depict a large fire with plumes of smoke near Tribhuvan International Airport. Firefighters and the Nepal army quickly arrived at the crash site. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Tribhuvan International Airport is a tabletop airport situated atop a plateau, surrounded by deep gorges and valleys, making it one of the riskiest airports globally. Nepal's aviation industry has a notorious safety record, plagued by insufficient training and maintenance, contributing to its poor air safety reputation.