18 people have died in a plane crash in Nepal. One of the two pilots survived and has been taken to hospital with injuries.
18 bodies have been recovered, including one foreign national, says police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Kari to the AFP news agency.
The crew and 16 passengers were Nepalese citizens. One deceased person is said to be a foreign national, but their nationality has not been disclosed.
The crash occurred when the domestic flight was taking off in the capital Kathmandu just after 11 am on Wednesday morning, bound for Pokhara.
According to eyewitnesses, the plane was about to take off but suddenly veered and a wing hit the ground. The plane, which belongs to Saurya Airlines' fleet, immediately caught fire, writes the Kathmandu Post.
The airport, which is Nepal's largest, is closed and rescue personnel and investigators are working on the scene.