17 Nepalis & Yemeni Citizen killed in Saurya Airlines crash
Among the deceased, 17 were Nepali nationals, and one was identified as a Yemeni citizen.
KATHMANDU: A incident occurred at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu on Wednesday, where a Saurya Airlines aircraft crashed, resulting in the death of 18 individuals with one survivor.
Among the deceased, 17 were Nepali nationals, and one was identified as a Yemeni citizen.
The aircraft, bound for Pokhara from Kathmandu, crashed around 11:11 AM local time.
Captain Manish Shakya, aged 37, was rescued and taken to KMC Hospital with injuries.
He remains in a condition where communication is possible, according to police.
The identities of the 18 deceased have been disclosed, including co-pilot S. Katuwal.
A press release from the police reports the deaths of Amitaman Maharjan, Sagar Acharya, Dilip Burma, Manuraj Sharma, Ashwin Niraula, Sudip Lal Joshi, Sarvesh Marasaini, Shyam Vindukar, Navaraj Ale, Rajaram Acharya, Adhiraj Sharma, Prijha Khatiwada, Uddhav Puri, Yagya Prasad Paudel, Santosh Mahato, Punyarathna Shahi, and Aref Reda due to an accident.
Reda Yamanie is a citizen of Yemen. Prija Khatiwada was also aboard the same aircraft.
The victims were employees of Saurya Airlines.
The aircraft involved was a 9N-AME/CRJ-200 belonging to Saurya Airlines, which crashed shortly after takeoff from runway 02 towards the eastern end near runway 20.
The bodies of those who lost their lives have been taken to the Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj for postmortem examinations, as preparations are underway to hand over the remains to their families and respective authorities.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, and Minister for Civil Aviation Badri Pandey visited the crash site to inspect the situation.
