KATHMANDU: A Saurya Airlines plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Kathmandu airport on July 24, 2024, killing 18 people, including airline engineers and management staff.
In the wake of the disaster, misleading information began circulating on social media, with users sharing outdated photos and videos falsely claiming to show the crash.
On July 24, 2024, an X user named @ChoudharyTany posted three video clips and two images with the hashtags #nepal #kathmandu #planecrash. While the videos accurately captured the July 24 crash, the photos were from previous aviation disasters in Nepal.
“Life is passing through the paths of sorrow. Life is passing through so many accidents. This should not happen to even an enemy. May God give the families affected by the accident the strength to bear it,” reads the Hindi-language post on X.
Similarly, a Twitter user named @aviationa2z posted the same photo alongside a headshot of pilot Manish Ratna Shakya, the sole survivor of the crash. Another X user, @LogicJourney, shared similar photos and a video, claiming that they showed the Saurya Airlines aircraft.
To verify the accuracy of the content, we conducted a reverse image search and keyword searches.
The photos shared by these users were identified as belonging to the 2018 US-Bangla Airlines crash and the 2023 Yeti Airlines crash. The video showing a plane plummeting to the ground was from the 2023 Yeti Airlines crash.
The US-Bangla Airlines flight crash-landed at Kathmandu International Airport in March 2018, resulting in 51 deaths and 20 serious injuries. An investigation attributed the crash to pilot error, citing stress and emotional factors.
The Yeti Airlines plane, carrying 72 people, crashed in Pokhara in January 2023, killing all on board. The pilot inadvertently pulled the wrong lever to operate the wing flaps, which caused the crash, according to a probe report.
The photos and videos circulating on social media do not accurately depict the Saurya Airlines crash that occurred on July 24, 2024.
(Courtesy: (https://nepalcheck.org/2024/07/25
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