Pilot only survivor of Nepal plane crash

All 19 onboard except the pilot died when the plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off.

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The pilot, who is currently receiving treatment in hospital, is the only survivor of Wednesday's fatal accident after being rescued from the burning wreckage.

The Saurya Airlines flight was carrying 17 company employees, including technical staff, as well as two crew members. It was bound for the Himalayan tourism hub of Pokhara in the country's west.

Nepal's aviation industry has a poor safety record that has been attributed to multiple factors over the years, from unpredictable weather to lax regulations.

The flight, which was heading for Pokhara as part of a routine maintenance check, crashed at about 11:15 local time (05:30 GMT), a few minutes after it took off from Tribhuvan International Airport, according to a statement by the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority's search and rescue co-ordination centre.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c978m8p6lm6o

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