Pilot only survivor in Nepal plane crash that killed 18 passengers

Nepal army personnel cordon off a plane crash site at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal Credit: AP

At least 18 people have died after a plane skidded off a runway and crashed at an airport in Nepal's capital of Kathmandu.

The only survivor from the incident was the pilot, who sustained injuries to his eyes and was rushed to a local hospital. Doctors have said his wounds are not life-threatening

Images from Nepal police showed thick smoke billowing from the burning Bombardier CRJ 200 on the runway at Tribhuvan International Airport.

Nepal's main airport was closed for hours as emergency crews and investigators began their work.

The Civil Aviation Authority have said all 19 people aboard the plane were employees of Saurya Airlines or mechanics.

Smoke rises from Trubhuvan International Airport in Kathmandum, Nepal, after a plane slipped off the runway. Credit: AP

The flight crashed at around 11am local time and had been travelling to Pokhara for technical maintenance purposes.

Saurya Airlines operates the Bombardier CRJ 200 on domestic routes.

"There was chaos and confusion,” said Ram Kumar Khatri Chetri, who own a car parts store close to the crash site.

“It was just horrible and there was no way that anyone could just go near the plane and help out when there was so much fire and even explosions."

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The co-pilot Sasant Katuwal had been flying only for the past three years after completing training in France, his uncle Dhyan Bahadur Khadka said at the hospital.

He had just received a visa to go to Germany for further training.

Nepal is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous places in the world, in part due to its mountainous terrain.

The Kathmandu airport, the main airport serving Nepal, is inside a valley surrounded by mountains that make takeoffs and landings challenging for pilots.

Eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Everest, are in Nepal.

Its weather also changes suddenly and airstrips are typically located in difficult to reach mountain regions.

Last year, Nepal had its worst plane crash in more than 30 years when at least 68 people died in an Yeti Airlines flight that went down near Pokhara.

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