Media and officials reported that at least five people died after a small aircraft caught fire on Wednesday after it skidded off the runway as it took off from Kathmandu, Nepal's capital.

Arjun Chand Thakhuri, the Airport Security Chief, said that two crew members as well as 17 technicians were being transported to Pokhara for maintenance checks.

Kathmandu Post reported that five bodies were recovered from the crash scene. Television images showed firefighters trying to extinguish the fire, and thick black smoke rising into the air.

Thakuri reported that "it (the plane) caught on fire after skidding of the runway at Kathmandu Airport and crashing in a field to the east of the runway."

Media reported that the plane was owned by local Saurya Airlines. Saurya Airlines operates domestic flights with two Bombardier CRJ-200 regional aircraft, both of which are around 20 years old.

Nepal's poor record in air safety has led to criticism. The deadliest incident occurred in 1992 when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crash-landed into a hillside as it approached Kathmandu and killed 167 people.

In January 2023, a Yeti Airlines crash that killed at least 72 people was the most recent.

later attributed

The pilots accidentally cut off the power. Reporting by Kathmandu Newsroom; Additional reporting in New Delhi by Ainnie arif; Writing by Sakshi dayal; Editing and YPrajesh