At least 18 dead after plane crashes at Kathmandu airport

A Saurya Airlines passenger plane crashed shortly after taking off from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, resulting in the deaths of 18 people. The pilot was the only survivor and has been hospitalized with injuries to his eyes. According to police reports, all those on board were employees of the carrier, and it is believed that 17 of the dead were Nepali nationals, with one identified as a foreigner but no nationality disclosed. The plane, which was bound for Pokhara in Nepal's west, crashed at around 11:15 local time (05:30 GMT) after veering off the runway during takeoff. The wreckage burst into flames, and firefighters arrived to find thick black plumes of smoke filling the sky. Police have recovered all 18 bodies from the site. The cause of the crash remains unclear, but it is not the first aviation incident in Nepal, which has a poor track record on safety.