At least 18 people died after a small plane skidded off the runway in Nepal’s capital on Wednesday, according to local authorities.

() – One person survived the Saurya Airlines crash, the Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement. All of the passengers – 18 Nepalese and one Yemeni citizen – were company employees, according to police.

Footage from Nepalese police showed thick smoke billowing from the burning plane on the airport runway.

The plane crashed during takeoff from Kathmandu to the city of Pokhara around 11 a.m. local time, Gyanendra Bhul, information officer at Tribhuvan International Airport, told .

The plane was en route for technical maintenance, he added.

“Rescue efforts began immediately and the situation was under control,” declared the aviation authority.

The accident once again highlights the dangers of air travel in Nepal, a country often referred to as one of the riskiest places to fly due to multiple factors, including its mountainous terrain.

The Himalayan country, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, has a history of plane crashes. Its weather can change suddenly, and landing strips are usually located in mountainous areas that are difficult to access.

Aircraft with 19 seats or fewer are more prone to accidents due to these difficulties, according to a 2019 safety report from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Although the country has made improvements to safety standards in recent years, challenges remain, and a lack of investment in aging aircraft only increases the risks of flying.

Last year, Nepal suffered its worst plane crash in more than 30 years, when at least 68 people died when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed near Pokhara.

In May 2022, a Tara Air flight leaving Pokhara crashed into a mountain, killing 22 people.

In early 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, bound for Kathmandu crashed on landing and caught fire, killing 51 people.

And in 2016, a Tara Air flight crashed while flying the same route as the 2023 crash.

This is a developing story that will be updated.