Kathmandu plane crash: The Saurya Airlines plane was en route to Pokhara
Eighteen people were declared dead after a plane crashed during takeoff in Nepal's capital Kathmandu today. Authorities have launched a search and rescue operation at the accident site.
Here are the top 5 latest updates on this big story
- 19 people, including technical staff and airline crew, were onboard the plane when it crashed during takeoff at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.
- Images of the aftermath shared by Nepal's military showed the plane's fuselage split apart and burnt to a husk.
- A dramatic video has surfaced online, capturing the exact moment the plane crashed. Footage shows a large fire with plumes of smoke rising near the Tribhuvan International Airport.
- The Saurya Airlines plane was en route to Pokhara, an important tourism hub in the Himalayan republic.
- Plane's Captain Manish Shakya was rescued from the wreckage and rushed to the hospital for treatment.
- Saurya Airlines exclusively flies Bombardier CRJ 200 jets, according to its website.
- Nepal has some of the world's trickiest runways to land on, flanked by snow-capped peaks
- The Himalayan Republic has a woeful track record on aviation safety and has seen a spate of deadly light plane and helicopter crashes over the decades.
- The weather can also change quickly in the mountains, creating treacherous flying conditions, experts say.
- The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns.
