A domestic plane crashed Wednesday just after taking off from the airport serving Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, killing 18 people and injuring a pilot who was the lone survivor.
Police official Basanta Rajauri said authorities have pulled out all 18 bodies. The only survivor was the pilot, who was taken to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital for treatment, said a doctor at the hospital who was not authorized to speak to media.
The pilot has injuries to the eyes but is not in any danger, the doctor said.
A press statement issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said the Saurya Airlines plane had taken off at 11:11 a.m. from Kathmandu and was heading to resort town of Pokhara.
The plane had already taken off and turned right before it crashed in the eastern section of the airport, the statement said.
The bodies have been taken to the T.U. Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for autopsy. The airline manifest showed there were two pilots and 17 passengers on board, among them there was only one female. The crew and 16 passengers were Nepali nationals with one identified as foreigner but no nationality was disclosed.
Tribhuvan International Airport, the main airport in Nepal for international and domestic flights, has been closed as emergency crew and investigators began their work.
