More than 50 people are feared to be dead following a US-Bangla Airlines aircraft today crashed and caught fire at Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) here, a top Nepalese official said.
As per reports, the plane was a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, with 67 passengers and four crew members caught fire after it reeled off the runway during landing. The plane crashed into a ground near the airport, TIA spokesperson Prem Nath Thakur said.
“Over 50 people are feared dead. We are carrying out rescue work. We are collecting details,” Raj Kumar Chhetri, TIA General Manager, was quoted as saying by My Republica.
If reports are to be believed, more than 20 passengers were injured and were taken to Kathmandu Medical College for treatment, of which seven were brought dead at the hospital. While the remaining are undergoing treatment for serious burn injuries.
The flight, UBG 211, was Kathmandu-bound taking off from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The aircraft took off from Dhaka and landed at the airport at 2:20 pm (local time).
Plumes of black smoke could be seen rising from the football ground where the plane crashed.
“The plane shoot off the runway while it was about to crash into the hanger and immediately caught fire,” an airport official was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times.
The officials, however, have said a technical glitch could be the cause of the accident.
“The aircraft was permitted to land from the Southern side of the runway over Koteshwor but it landed from the Northern side,” Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) Sanjiv Gautam was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.