The tragic plane crash at Kathmandu Airport has claimed the lives of 18 people, but the only survivor was pilot Manish Ratna Shakya. BBC Nepali Service reported that Shakya was receiving treatment in hospital and his family was doing well.
When the rescue teams reached the plane in flames and approached the cockpit, they noticed that the pilot, Shakya, was breathing with difficulty. They quickly broke the window and pulled him out, but he was able to talk and was conscious, although his face was covered in blood.
Nepal Civil Aviation Minister Badri Pandey announced that the Saruya Airlines plane suddenly turned right after taking off from the runway and crashed on the east side of the runway. Security camera footage showed the plane, engulfed in flames, crashing into a valley outside the airport.
Minister Pandey stated that the plane hit a container in the corner of the airport and the cockpit was stuck inside this container. He stated that this situation allowed the pilot to survive. It was shared that the other parts of the plane were shattered after hitting a nearby hill and the fire burned everything.
The Nepal Army reported that the pilot was rescued five minutes after the crash and was conscious. It was reported that the pilot was injured and had a fracture in his back and will undergo surgery.
An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the accident.
