Nepal plane crash: Sushma speaks to her B'desh counterpart, offers assistance

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday spoke to her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali and expressed deepest condolences over the loss of lives in the crash of a US-Bangla Airlines aircraft in Kathmandu and offered all assistance.

The US-Bangla Airlines aircraft crashed and burst into flames while landing at Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) at Kathmandu today, killing more than 50 people, a top Nepalese official said.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj spoke to Bangladesh Foreign Minister & expressed deepest condolences & sympathies for the loss of lives in the crash of US-Bangla Airlines in Kathmandu today.

EAM offered any assistance required in Kathmandu, and shared thoughts and prayers for those injured," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

The Dhaka-based US-Bangla Airlines is a private carrier that launched in July 2014 with the motto "Fly Fast Fly Safe".

The plane, en route to Kathmandu from Dhaka, with 67 passengers and four crew members caught fire after it careened off the runway during landing and crashed onto a football ground, TIA spokesperson Prem Nath Thakur said.

There were 33 Nepalese nationals on board flight UBG 211, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400.

PTI