Kathmandu plane crash: It will take three days to conduct postmortem: TUTH

The Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) has said that it would take three days to conduct the postmortem of those killed in the Saurya Airlines plane crash in Kathmandu.

The bodies were taken to the Maharajgunj-based TUTH following the crash at the Tribhuvan International Teaching Hospital on Wednesday.

According to Executive Director of the hospital Dr Dinesh Kafle, the hospital’s manpower is in a ready position to conduct the autopsy.

Kafle said that the postmortem will start soon after the relatives of the deceased come to the hospital and identify the bodies.

Police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki said that some of the bodies are recognizable and some are not.

Dr Kafle informed that the bodies will be handed over to the families after examining the teeth and DNA of the bodies.

Kathmandu Valley Police Office spokesperson Dinesh Raj Mainali said: “The hospital administration will perform the autopsy after police prepare necessary documents.”

A Saurya Airlines passenger plane crashed during takeoff at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of 18 people.

The plane, carrying two crew members and 17 others (15 of whom were airline technical staff), was en route to Pokhara for a comprehensive maintenance check known as a “C-check.” This inspection, conducted every 18-24 months or after a specific number of flight hours, involves a thorough examination of an aircraft’s systems, components, and structures, typically taking several weeks.

Among the deceased were four senior officers from Saurya Airlines: Sagar Acharya, Ashwin Niroula, Yagya Prasad Poudyal, and Dilip Verma. Also on board were Priza Khatiwada, wife of Saurya IT officer Manu Raj Sharma, and their four-year-old son, Adhiraj, who all perished in the crash.

The other victims were identified as Sushant Katuwal (co-pilot), Amit Man Maharjan, Sudip Lal Joshi, Sarbesh Marasini, Shyam Bindukar, Navaraj Ale, Rajaram Acharya, Uddhab Puri, Santosh Mahato, Punya Ratna Saahi, and Aref Reda, a Yemeni national. All were staff members of Saurya Airlines. The bodies were recovered by the afternoon and transported to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj for postmortem examinations.

Captain Manish Ratna Shakya, the pilot, was the sole survivor. He was rescued from the wreckage and rushed to a nearby hospital with injuries to his eyes but was reported to be out of danger.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the aircraft (CRJ 200, Registration: 9N-AME) took off from Tribhuvan International Airport at 11:11 am from Runway 02. Moments after takeoff, the plane veered off to the right of the runway, resulting in the crash. Eyewitness accounts and video footage on social media showed the plane catching fire upon impact.