Saurya Airlines The plane crashed while taking off A plane crashed just off Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, Nepal on Wednesday. Eighteen people were killed in the accident. The victims included three members of the same family: Manuraj Sharma, a member of the flight maintenance staff; his wife Priza Khatiwada; and their four-year-old son Adhiraj Sharma.
The airline said all passengers on board the plane were employees of Saurya Airlines, including technical staff travelling for maintenance work. However, Energy Ministry spokesman Navinraj Singh clarified that Preeja Khatiwada was an assistant computer operator working in the ministry. This was also confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, which listed the names of the deceased family members.
The aircraft, identified as 9N-AME (CRJ 200), was heading to Pokhara Regional Airport for routine maintenance. Co-pilot Sushanta Katuwal was also among the victims, while the pilot, 37-year-old Manish Shakya, survived the accident and was rushed to a nearby hospital in Sinamangal for treatment.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority report, the accident occurred shortly after takeoff when the plane veered to the right and crashed into the eastern part of the runway. There were two crew members and 17 technicians on board the plane, which caught fire after the collision.
view from the spot In the video, firefighters can be seen trying to put out the fire as thick black smoke billows into the sky.
Rescue operations began swiftly and local residents and officials worked together to retrieve the bodies and carry them to ambulances.
The aircraft was scheduled to undergo maintenance from Thursday.
“The plane was scheduled to undergo maintenance for a month from Thursday… it is not clear why it crashed,” news agency Reuters quoted Saurya Airlines marketing head Mukesh Khanal as saying.