KATHMANDU: Sixty-seven people died when a plane crashed in Nepal on Sunday, the deadliest aviation disaster to hit the Himalayan nation in three decades.
Nepal’s air transport sector has been plagued by accidents due to poor maintenance, insufficient training and lax standards.
The country also has some of the world’s most remote and tricky runways, with approaches flanked by towering mountains that challenge even accomplished pilots.
Here is a timeline of major air disasters to hit the country in recent years:
May 29, 2022
A Twin Otter plane operated by Nepali carrier Tara Air crashes shortly after takeoff from Pokhara, western Nepal, killing 22 people.
April 14, 2019
A small plane veers off the runway while taking off near Mount Everest, hitting two helicopters and killing three people.
March 12, 2018
A flight from the Dhaka crash-lands at Kathmandu airport, skidding into a football field where it bursts into flames. Fifty-one people are killed in what was the deadliest aviation accident in the country for decades.
Feb 24, 2016
A Twin Otter aircraft operated by Tara Air crashes into a hillside in Myagdi district, killing all 23 people on board.
Feb 16, 2014
Eighteen people are killed when a Nepal Airlines flight crashes in Arghakhanchi district, with rescuers finding body parts and debris strewn across the mountainous countryside.
Sept 28, 2012
A plane flying 19 people towards Mount Everest goes down in flames on the outskirts of the Nepali capital, killing everyone on board, including seven Britons and five Chinese citizens.
May 14, 2012
Fifteen people die when an Agni Air plane carrying Indian pilgrims crashes near the treacherous high-altitude airport of Jomsom in northern Nepal, while six make a miraculous escape.
Sept 25, 2011
A small plane taking tourists on a sightseeing trip around Mount Everest crashes into a hillside near Kathmandu, killing all 19 people on board.
Dec 15, 2010
All 22 passengers and crew on board a passenger plane that crashes in eastern Nepal are killed. Most of the victims are pilgrims from Bhutan, with one US citizen also among the dead.
Aug 24, 2010
A small Agni Air plane crashes in bad weather near Kathmandu, killing all 14 people on board, including four Americans, a Japanese and a British national.
Sept 28, 1992
All 167 people on board a Pakistan International Airlines plane die when it crashes on approach to Kathmandu, in Nepal’s worst-ever air accident.
Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2023
