Death toll in the Saurya Airlines plane crash on Wednesday has reached 18.
The Nepal Police Headquarters initially said that a total of 15 persons were killed while four were rescued from the crash site.
Three of the four rescued persons breathed their last while undergoing treatment at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), according to the police.
The only survivor in the crash is Captain Manish Shakya, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
The plane with 19 onboard crashed while taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) Wednesday morning.
The Bombardier plane (9N-AME/CRJ 200) that took off from Runway 02 has crashed near Runway 20 to the east at 11:15 in the morning, according to the TIA.
Pilot of the plane Captain Manish Shakya, 37, was rescued and taken to the KMC Hospital, according to Spokesperson at the Kathmandu Valley Police Office SSP Dinesh Raj Mainali.
“Captain Manish Shakya was rescued at 11:34 and taken to KMC Hospital. He can speak. He has eye injury,” SSP Mainali said adding that the fire was taken under control at 11:40.
The plane fell at the open space behind the hangar of Buddha Air while leaving for Pokhara.
All 19 including the crew members were Saurya Airlines staffers, according to the CAAN . The 19 include 18 Nepali nationals and a Yemeni national who was going to Pokhara for maintenance of the plane.
The bodies recovered from the crash site have been taken to the TUTH.
