The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has confirmed the death of 18 people aboard the Saurya Airlines aircraft which crashed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

A total of 19 people, including two crew members, were in the Pokhara-bound flight, with registration number 9NAME, which took off from Kathmandu at 11:11 am, the aviation authority said.

The police reported that one of the passengers had been a Yemeni citizen.

The aircraft had suffered a runway excursion and plunged into a gorge on the eastern side of the airport.

Captain MR Shakya was rescued from the crash site and has been admitted to the KMC Hospital in Sinamangal for treatment, Nepal Police said.

According to the Nepal Police, most of the passengers were airline staff travelling to Pokhara for aircraft maintenance.