Passenger plane crash kills 18 as aircraft skids off runway and explodes in fireball in Nepal

The Bombardier CRJ 200 plane operated by Saurya Airlines was travelling to the resort town of Pokhara when it reportedly skidded off the runway during take-off at around 11am local time (6.15am UK time). It was not clear how it slipped.

The plane was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians to Pokhara city to repair another aircraft, officials said. The pilot was the only one onboard to survive, as officials said that 18 people had died in the crash.

Footage showed firefighters trying to put out the blaze and thick black smoke rising into the sky. They also showed the plane flying a little above the runway and then tilting before it crashed.

Other visuals showed rescue workers rummaging through the charred remains of the plane, strewn in lush green fields.

People stand at the site after a Saurya Airlines’ plane crashed during takeoff at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on July 24, 2024

Rescuers and army personnel stand at the site after a Saurya Airlines’ plane crashed during takeoff at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on July 24, 2024

The wreckage of the passenger plane can be seen at the crash site in Kathmandu, Nepal, on July 24, 2024

Footage shows the smouldering wreckage of a plane that crashed with 19 people onboard

Local media images show plane wreckage scattered all over a ditch as emergency personnel was looking for survivors

Smoke rises from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, July 24, 2024. State television in Nepal says a plane has slipped off the runway and crashed while trying to take off from Kathmandu airport

Police officers gathered at Tribhuvan International Airport following the plane crash

‘Only the captain was rescued alive and is receiving treatment at a hospital,’ said Tej Bahadur Poudyal, the spokesman for Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport.

The pilot of the plane has been taken to the Kathmandu Medical College Hospital for treatment, said a doctor at the hospital who was not authorised to speak to media.

The pilot has injuries to the eyes but is not in any danger, the doctor added.

Tribhuvan International Airport, the main airport in Nepal for international and domestic flights, has been closed as emergency crews worked.

It is monsoon rainy season in Kathmandu but was not raining at the time of the crash. Visibility was low across the capital, however.

Saurya Airlines operates the Bombardier CRJ 200 on domestic routes.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.