Relatives of 18 dead in Nepal plane crash demand answers

FILE PHOTO: A family member of the victim reacts outside a hospital after a Saurya Airlines plane caught fire after skidding off the runway while taking off at Tribhuvan International Airport, in Kathmandu, Nepal, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar/File Photo

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Relatives of the 18 dead in an airplane crash in Nepal have yet to hear from the government or the airline on the possible cause of the disaster, they said a day after the small jet went down during take-off at the airport in Kathmandu, the capital.

The incident has cast a spotlight on the mountainous, landlocked nation's poor record on air safety, with almost 360 people killed since 2000 in plane and helicopter crashes.