A chilling video has emerged that captures the moment a passenger plane crashed in Nepal, killing 18 people after skidding off the runway and exploding—leaving only the pilot as the sole survivor. Footage shows the Bombardier CRJ 200 plane flying low over the runway before abruptly tilting sideways and descending nose-first toward the ground.
Upon crashing, the aircraft erupted into a fireball, sending black smoke into the sky as shocked bystanders looked on from an airport shuttle bus. The Saurya Airlines plane was headed to the resort town of Pokhara when it skidded off the runway at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu during take-off at 11 a.m. local time.
Killed in No Time
According to officials, the plane was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians who were traveling to Pokhara to repair another aircraft. The pilot was the only survivor, with officials reporting that 18 people died in the crash. Photos showed him being carried away from the wreckage.
Videos from the crash site show firefighters working to extinguish the flames and thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
Other footage shows rescue workers searching through the scorched debris of the plane, scattered across lush green fields.
Local media footage also shows bodies being transported to ambulances on stretchers, while nearby residents watched in shock.
"Only the captain was rescued alive and is receiving treatment at a hospital," said Tej Bahadur Poudyal, the spokesman for Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport.
The pilot has been transported to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital for treatment, according to a doctor at the hospital who requested anonymity.
The doctor said that the pilot has eye injuries but that his life is not in danger. Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal's primary airport for both international and domestic flights, has been shut down while emergency crews respond to the incident.
Although it is the monsoon season in Kathmandu, it was not raining at the time of the crash. However, visibility was poor throughout the capital, though it remains unclear if this factor or another issue caused the plane to skid off the runway.
Shocking Scenes
Saurya Airlines operates two Bombardier CRJ 200 aircraft on domestic routes, both of which are around 20 years old, according to Flight Radar 24. Nepal has faced criticism for its poor air safety record, with nearly 350 fatalities resulting from plane or helicopter crashes in the Himalayan nation since 2000.
The deadliest incident occurred in 1992 when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside while approaching Kathmandu, resulting in 167 deaths.
The most recent tragedy took place on July 11, 2023, when a helicopter crash in central Nepal killed six people. The helicopter, which had left Solukhumbu district—home to Mount Everest and other high peaks—carried five Mexican nationals and one Nepali pilot.
Earlier in the year, a Yeti Airlines crash in January claimed 72 lives and was later attributed to the pilots accidentally cutting off power. This was the deadliest air crash in the country since 1992.
