An aircraft with 19 people on board, including crew members, has crashed on take-off in Nepal, according to media reports.
The plane, belonging to Saurya Airlines, crashed at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Nepali officials said.
According to preliminary information, five bodies have been recovered at the scene of the accident, the newspaper Kathmandu Post reported.
The plane skidded off the runway and crashed as it was taking off, an airport spokesman said.
The aircraft was reportedly bound for Pokhara in Nepal, however, there was initially no official confirmation of this.
Security personnel and firefighters were working to extinguish the flames and rescue the passengers.
“Some dead bodies have been recovered, while a few injured have been taken to the hospital,” the airport spokesman said. “It is still unclear how the accident happened.”
A large cloud of smoke could be seen in photos from a distance. No further information was initially available.
