Eighteen bodies have been recovered from the site of a tragic Kathmandu flight crash in Nepal, out of the total 19 people on board. The passengers, including two crew members and 17 Saurya Airlines staff, were on a Pokhara-bound plane carrying out a maintenance or technical flight when it caught on fire. The pilot has been hospitalized after the incident. The plane, a CRJ200 with a capacity of 50 passengers, skidded off the runway during takeoff, failed to gain altitude, and burst into flames after falling down an embankment. The cause of the crash is still unknown.
As emergency services rush to the scene, the Tribhuvan International Airport, known for its risky location perched atop a plateau surrounded by deep gorges and valleys, remains closed. Nepal’s air industry has a poor track record in terms of safety, attributed to lack of training and maintenance. Previous tragedies include a 2023 crash of a Yeti Airlines plane in Pokhara that killed 72 people, as well as a 1992 Pakistan International Airlines crash in Kathmandu that claimed 167 lives.
As investigations into the Kathmandu crash continue, the global aviation community mourns the loss of life in this devastating incident, once again highlighting the importance of safety and training within the industry.
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