KATHMANDU: Eighteen out of the 19 people aboard the ill-fated Saurya Airlines flight that crashed at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday morning have been confirmed dead, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
According to sources at Tribhuvan International Airport, the aircraft (9 N-AAMI) crashed during takeoff, causing it to skid off the runway and catch fire.
The incident occurred as the plane was departing from Kathmandu to Pokhara.
Nineteen passengers (all airlines staff and technicians) were aboard the plane. As this was a test flight, there were no regular passengers.
The aircraft, which does not operate regular flights to Pokhara, was carrying 19 people, including its employees and engineers.
Following the accident, the aircraft caught fire, releasing a significant plume of smoke.
A team of firefighters and security personnel were deployed to extinguish the fire on the aircraft due to the accident.
The plane that crashed during takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport was determined to have been built 21 years and 4 months ago.
The aircraft in question is a Bombardier CRJ-200, with a seating capacity of 50 passengers, which was the sixth such aircraft purchased for Nepal.
Manufactured by the Canadian company Bombardier in April 2003, details sourced from planesspotters.com indicate its origin.
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