At least 18 dead in Nepal plane crash

YEREVAN, July 24, ARMENPRESS. At least 18 people were killed when a small plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Wednesday, Reuters reports citing officials.

The plane was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians to Pokhara city to repair another aircraft, officials said.

"Only the captain was rescued alive and is receiving treatment at a hospital," said Tej Bahadur Poudyal, the spokesman for Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport.

According to the report, the plane was a Bombardier, and media reported it belonged to local Saurya Airlines. The airport had been temporarily closed, the officials added.

Nepal has been criticised for a poor air safety record, and nearly 350 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes in the Himalayan country since 2000, Reuters adds.