The government has formed a five-member committee to investigate Wednesday’s Saurya Airlines plane crash.
A Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday decided to form a probe committee to investigate the accident.
The five-member probe committee is headed by Ratish Chandra Lal Suman. Nepal Airlines Corporation Captain Dipuraj Jwarchan, Prof Dr Sudeep Bhattarai of Pulchowk Campus, Shree Airlines staffer Sanjay Adhikari and Control Officer at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Mukesh Dangol are members of the committee.
The committee has been given 45 days to submit its report.
The government has also decided to fly the national flag at half mast on Thursday.
Eighteen persons were killed when a Saurya Airlines plane with 19 on board crashed while taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Wednesday morning.
The plane’s pilot Captain Manish Shakya, 37, was rescued and taken to the KMC Hospital for treatment.
The Bombardier plane (9N-AME/CRJ 200) that took off from Runway 02 crashed near Runway 20 to the east at 11:15 in the morning, according to the TIA.
The plane fell into an open space behind the hangar of Buddha Air while leaving for Pokhara.
All 19 including the crew members were Saurya Airlines staffers, according to CAAN. The 19 include 18 Nepali nationals and a Yemeni national who was going to Pokhara for aircraft maintenance.
