Pilot sole survivor after plane carrying 19 crashes during takeoff in Nepal

A plane crash in Kathmandu on Wednesday killed 18 of the 19 people aboard, police in the Nepali capital told Agence France-Presse (AFP), with the pilot being the sole survivor.

"Eighteen bodies have been recovered, including one foreigner," police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki said.

"We are in the process of taking them for post-mortem."

The aircraft crashed during takeoff in Kathmandu, it was operated by "Saurya Airlines," and went down around 11:00 AM local time (05:15 GMT).

News site Khabarhub reported that a fire broke out on the plane, with thick smoke rising from the wreckage.

The flight was en route to Pokhara, a key tourist destination in the Himalayan country.

Saurya Airlines’ website indicates that it only operates Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft.

Nepal's aviation sector has grown in recent years, transporting goods, residents, and foreign climbers to remote areas. However, it faces significant safety issues due to insufficient training and maintenance.

The European Union has banned all Nepali airlines from flying in its airspace due to safety concerns.