Captain Manish Ratna Shakya, who was injured in the Saurya Airlines crash, has been moved from the intensive care unit to a general ward.

Professor Dr Meena Thapa, director of Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, stated that Shakya was moved to a general ward following improvement in his health condition.

Shakya was being treated in the ICU for observation after receiving initial treatment in the emergency section. The hospital said Captain Shakya’s condition is now stable and improving.

According to Thapa, Shakya is being monitored by neurology and orthopaedic specialists.

“He has injuries to his face, eyes, nose, and head. Additionally, one of his spinal bones and three ribs on the left side are fractured,” she said. “A decision has not yet been made regarding whether to perform a surgery.”

Captain Shakya, a lone survivor in Wednesday’s plane crash, was rescued from the crash site. A total of 18 people, including a crew member, were killed when a Pokhara-bound 9N-AME aircraft of Saurya Airlines crashed immediately after takeoff at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, Saurya Airlines has committed that the company would provide as much support as possible to the victims’ kin.

“We assure the victims’ families that we will provide all possible support and assistance,” Saurya Airlines Chairman Dipak Kumar Pokharel said in a statement on Friday.