By Muita Njambi
A Nepali pilot miraculously survived a deadly plane crash after his cockpit was severed by a freight container moments before the rest of the aircraft erupted into flames.
Captain Manish Ratna Shakya is the sole survivor of the tragic incident at Kathmandu airport on Wednesday which claimed the lives of 18 people.
Rescuers arrived at the scene as flames threatened the cockpit, which was lodged inside the container.
Senior Superintendent of Nepal Police, Dambar Bishwakarma, recounted how they broke the cockpit window and pulled Shakya out.
“He was facing difficulty to breathe as the air shield was open. We broke the window and immediately pulled him out,” Bishwakarma said.
“He had blood all over his face when he was rescued but we took him to the hospital in a condition where he could speak,” he added.
Despite being covered in blood, the pilot was conscious and quickly transported to the hospital. At the hospital, Shakya communicated with his family, assuring them that he was “all good.”
He sustained injuries to his head and face and will undergo surgery for broken bones in his back. Dr. Meena Thapa, the hospital’s medical director, confirmed that Shakya is under observation in the neurosurgery ward.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred when the plane inexplicably turned right instead of left after takeoff.
Nepal’s civil aviation minister, Badri Pandey, explained that the aircraft crashed into the east side of the runway, colliding with a container before hitting a nearby mound.
“It hit the container on the edge of the airport… then, it fell further below,” Mr Pandey said.
“The cockpit, however, remained stuck inside the container. This is how the captain survived.” He added.
CCTV footage captured the aircraft engulfed in flames before a section of it plummeted into a valley.
This incident has intensified scrutiny of Nepal’s air safety record, which has been heavily criticized.
In January 2023, a Yeti Airlines crash resulted in the deaths of 72 people, attributed to pilot error. The country’s most catastrophic crash occurred in 1992 when 167 people perished in a
Pakistan International Airlines flight disaster. Saruya Airlines, the airline involved in the recent crash, operates flights to five destinations within Nepal using a fleet of three Bombardier CRJ-200 jets.
In a show of solidarity and concern, Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma visited the hospital on Wednesday evening to meet with Shakya’s family.
The visit underscores the government’s commitment to addressing the critical issues of air safety in the country and preventing such tragedies in the future.