At least 18 people were killed after a Saruya Airlines plane crashed and caught fire while taking off from Nepal's capital of Kathmandu on Wednesday, said media reports. 

 

The pilot, who is currently receiving treatment in hospital, is the only survivor of the fatal accident, reported BBC.

 

Some 19 people were on the Saurya Airlines test flight, including technical staff members of the airline and two crew members. The plane was headed to Pokhara, a popular tourism destination.

 

Videos posted online showed the plane being enveloped in fire and smoke. Fire engines and ambulances were rushed to the spot after the incident.

 

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

 

"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.

 

Television visuals showed fire fighters trying to put out the blaze and thick black smoke rising into the sky. They also showed the plane flying a little above the runway and then tilting before it crashed, stated the report.

 

The incident happened at around 11:15 local time (05:30 GMT), a few minutes after the plane took off from the Tribhuvan International Airport, reported BBC citing a statement by the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority's search and rescue coordination centre.

 

The plane "turned right and crashed on the east side of the runway," said the statement.

 

The fire was brought under control and the rescue work started immediately, it added.

 

Saruya Airlines operates flights to five destinations within Nepal, with a fleet of three Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, according to the company’s website.