A passenger plane carrying 19 people has crashed during takeoff from Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.
The flight operated by Saurya Airlines involved a small aircraft bound for Pokhara, Nepal’s second-largest city and a major tourist gateway for trekking and adventure sports.
The aircraft crashed at around 11am local time on Wednesday, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Premnath Thakur, spokesperson for Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, said the 19 people on board the plane included crew members.
Police and rescue teams are currently at the site, where initial pictures shared on social media showed a large fire.
Local media are reporting that five bodies have been recovered from the crash site, though this has yet to be confirmed by officials.
On 15 January last year 72 people were killed when a twin-engine ATR 72-500 aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines plunged into a gorge while approaching Pokhara International Airport in the Himalayan foothills.
The crash site was located approximately 1.6 kilometres from the runway, at an elevation of about 820 metres.
A report by investigators later revealed that the pilots mistakenly cut power which caused the January crash that killed all those on board.
It was Nepal’s deadliest air crash since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300 crashed into a hillside on approach to Kathmandu, killing all 167 people on board.
