KATHMANDU: An aircraft of Saurya Airlines wil call sing 9N-AME/CRJ200 crashed on Wednesday morning while departing from Kathmandu to Pokhara, killing 18 people on board.

The accident occurred as the plane skidded off the runway during takeoff. The aircraft fell into a base of a slope to the eastern side of the Tribhuvan International Airport’s runway and caught fire.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dambar BK informed the state-owned RSS that the bodies of 18 people on the plane were collected while they were scattered around the accident site. He said that preparations are now being made to take the collected bodies to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for post mortem. According to Superintendent of Police BK, one of the crew members of the plane was rescued alive.

According to media reports, Captain MR Shakya has been rushed to hospital.

The plane was heading to Pokhara with employees and technicians to repair another aircraft of Saurya Air. Domestic flights have been affected at the airport due to the crash.