The bodies of 18 people were retrieved after a plane crashed at Nepal’s Kathmandu airport on Wednesday, according to the Kathmandu Post.
The captain of the aircraft was the only survivor and was brought to the hospital for medical care.
The Saurya Airlines flight heading for Pokhara in central Nepal crashed upon takeoff at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) due to a runway excursion, according to TIA spokeswoman Subash Jha.
The plane was flying two crew members and 17 technicians to Pokhara to repair another aircraft.
According to reports, one of the victims was a foreign national.
The airport was temporarily closed following the crash.
Fire fighters tried to put out the blaze as thick black smoke rose into the sky.
Rescue workers rummaged through the charred remains of the plane, and bodies were carried to ambulances on stretchers as local residents looked on.
