The government has formed a five-member investigation commission to probe the recent aircraft crash. The decision was made during an emergency meeting of the Cabinet held today at Singha Durbar, as announced by Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung.
The commission will be led by Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, former Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Other members include Captain Dipuraj Jwarchan of Nepal Airlines Corporation, Professor Kuldeep Bhattarai from Pulchowk Campus, and Engineer Sanjay Adhikari of Shree Airlines. Mukesh Dangol, an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) officer from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, has been appointed as the member secretary.
The commission has been given a timeframe of 45 days to submit a detailed report after thoroughly investigating the crash. According to Minister Gurung, the government has decided that to prevent future aviation accidents, both domestic and international airlines operating in Nepal will be required to undergo mandatory technical inspections, with the Civil Aviation Authority conducting rigorous monitoring.
In light of the tragedy, the government has also decided to lower the national flag to half-mast on Thursday.
The incident occurred this morning when a Saurya Airlines aircraft, en route from Kathmandu to Pokhara, crashed in the vicinity of Tribhuvan International Airport, resulting in the death of 18 individuals. The pilot, Captain Manish Shakya, was critically injured and is currently receiving treatment at KMC Hospital in Sinamangal.
