Tragic Plane Crash in Nepal: 18 Dead During Takeoff at Kathmandu Airport

Disaster Management Disaster Management in India

Posted by pallavi on 2024-07-24 10:30:27 |

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Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. The aircraft, carrying two crew members and 17 technicians en route to Pokhara for maintenance checks, skidded off the runway during takeoff on Wednesday morning. According to Airport Security Chief Arjun Chand Thakuri, the plane's wing-tip hit the ground, causing it to flip, catch fire, and plunge into a gorge.

Pilot Manish Shankya was rescued from the wreckage and is currently receiving treatment for a head injury at a nearby hospital. The Nepal army is leading the rescue operations, working to manage the aftermath of the incident. Eyewitnesses reported that the plane caught fire almost immediately after impact, contributing to the severity of the crash.

The plane was operated by Saurya Airlines, which runs domestic flights in Nepal using two Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets, both approximately 20 years old. This incident adds to the country’s troubling history of aviation accidents. In January of the previous year, a Yeti Airlines flight crashed just before landing in Pokhara, resulting in 72 deaths.

The crash highlights ongoing concerns about aviation safety in Nepal, a region that has witnessed nearly 350 fatalities in plane and helicopter crashes since 2000. The deadliest incident in recent history occurred in 1992 when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed near Kathmandu, killing 167 people.

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