Nepal Plane Crash Claims 18 Lives, Including a Yemeni National

In a tragic incident on July 24, a domestic plane crash in Nepal resulted in the death of 18 passengers, including a Yemeni national and a child. The plane, operated by Saurya Airlines, slipped off the runway while attempting to take off from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and crashed into a nearby gorge.

The ill-fated aircraft was headed to Pokhara, a popular tourist destination just a 25-minute flight from Kathmandu. The accident occurred at 11:11 a.m. local time, as the plane was preparing for takeoff from the southern end of the runway. Eyewitnesses reported that the plane suddenly slipped and caught fire, leading to the fatal crash.

Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that 18 bodies had been recovered from the crash site, while the lone survivor is receiving medical treatment. According to the passenger manifest, all onboard were company staff, predominantly Nepali nationals except for one, whose nationality is yet to be determined.

Emergency responders, including police and firefighters, arrived promptly at the crash site, where a thick plume of smoke was seen rising. This accident marks the worst aviation disaster in Nepal in 18 months, following a Yeti Airlines crash in January last year that claimed 72 lives. Prior to that, a Tara Air crash in May 2022 killed 22 people.

Wednesday’s crash is the 105th air disaster in Nepal since the first recorded incident in August 1955. With this latest tragedy, the total number of fatalities in Nepal's air disasters has reached 914.