18 dead, 1 injured in Nepal's plane crash
A close-up view of the wreckage of a Saurya Airlines plane that caught fire after skidding off the runway while taking off at Tribhuvan International Airport, in Kathmandu, Nepal, July 24.
A domestic plane crashed during take-off on Wednesday at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, leaving 18 dead and 1 injured.
A witness said the plane nosedived into the ground, and an explosion could be heard inside the airport.
Eighteen dead bodies were recovered at the crash site, said Hansa Raj Pandey, spokesman at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
Pandey told Xinhua that one injured person was sent to the hospital for treatment and the airport has been closed over the incident.
The Saurya Airlines flight bound for the city of Pokhara was carrying 19 people and all of them were from the airline, said Pandey.
Subash Jha, the airport spokesman, told Xinhua that the plane was going to Pokhara for "a C check," or maintenance checks.
The captain of the plane is the only survivor being treated at the hospital, and a committee shall be formed to probe into the incident, Jha said.
A foreigner was aboard the flight, according to passenger information unveiled by the airline.
Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli called a Cabinet meeting over the plane crash, press reports said.
