Eighteen people were killed when a plane crashed during take-off in Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The Saurya Airlines flight was heading to Pokhara on a test flight with a crew of two and 17 members of the airline's technical staff on board, including a Yemeni.
The plane went off the runway of Tribhuvan International Airport at 11.11am, before catching fire and plunging into a gorge, Subhash Jha, director of the airport operations department, told The National.
Only the pilot, Capt Manish Shakya, 37, survived.
“Eighteen people, including the crew, have died in the crash but the captain has survived,” Tej Bahadur Poudyal, the airport's information officer, told The National.
“He is stable and is undergoing treatment at Kathmandu Medical College.”
A doctor told local media that the pilot had suffered eye injuries and was not in a serious condition.
Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal's main airport for international and domestic flights, was closed after the crash.
Video posted on social media showed the plane rising above the runway and then banking to its right before crashing into the ground and exploding in a ball of fire.
Emergency workers including police and firefighters tried to put out the flames as thick black smoke billowed from the crash site.
The charred remains of the plane lay scattered across green fields as the bodies of the victims were carried on stretchers to ambulances.
Mr Jha said all the bodies were recovered and sent for postmortem examination.
“The deceased are all technical staff of the airlines. They were flying to Pokhara for regular maintenance work. The families have been informed and the airline will look after the compensation and other requirements,” he said.
“The reasons for the crash are not yet known, only an investigation can tell the cause but the weather was conducive this morning,” he said.
Poor aviation safety record
Nepal has a poor aviation record and has suffered a spate of flight disasters in recent years.
There have been 27 deadly plane crashes in the country over the past three decades killing more than 600 people, according to the Aviation Safety database.
In December, the EU extended a decade-long ban on Nepali airlines in its airspace, saying they did not meet international aviation safety standards.
In January last year, 72 people were killed when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed near the city of Pokhara.
The plane plunged into a 300-metre gorge shortly before it was due to land. It was the country's deadliest plane crash since 1992, when 167 people were killed on a Pakistan Airlines flight which crash-landed in Kathmandu.
In 2018, 51 people died during a crash-landing at Tribhuvan International Airport.
Nepal, a country of about 30 million people, sits in the Himalayas and is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga and Annapurna.
While it attracts vast numbers of tourists for trekking and mountaineering, its airports are small and of poor standards. There is also poor maintenance of equipment and lax enforcement of regulations.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips for avoiding trouble online
- Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
- Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
- Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
- Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
- Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Pickford, Pope.
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Dier, Gomez, Keane, Maguire, Maitland-Niles, Mings, Saka, Trippier, Walker.
Midfielders Henderson, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse, Winks.
Forwards Abraham, Barnes, Calvert-Lewin, Grealish, Ings, Kane, Rashford, Sancho, Sterling.
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Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner Canvassed, Par Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
Winner Dubai Future, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Mouheeb, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
8.15pm Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
9.50pm Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Man Of Promise, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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