US-Bangla plane crashes at Kathmandu airport; 50 dead
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At least 50 passengers were killed after US-Bangla Airlines aircraft crashed while landing at Kathmandu International Airport on Monday. The flight had 72 passengers on board. The flight skidded off the runway while landing, according to a Nepali daily report. The flight, UBG 211 was en route to Kathmandu from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Nepal army spokesman Brigadier General Gokul Bhandari said 50 people had died and the fate of the others was unknown.
According to Nepali Times, the aircraft crashed after having crossed the threshold of Runway 02 (south-to-north) and apparently touched down. A plume of black smoke marked the site of the crash at the start of the runaway.
Tourism Ministry Joint Secretary Suresh Acharya said 17 injured passengers have been rescued and sent to different hospitals for treatment.
The condition of over two dozen people who were admitted to the hospital in Kathmandu is said to be serious.
A turbo-prop passenger aircraft of the US Bangla airline has crashed upon landing at Tribhuvan International Airport this afternoon at 2:20 pm. https://t.co/8us2HXBbh0
— Nepali Times (@nepalitimes) March 12, 2018
Photo by Bishnu Sapkota.#planecrash #Kathmandu #Dhaka pic.twitter.com/CCtEhM0Xc4
"The plane shoot off the runway while it was about to crash into the hanger and immediately caught fire," an airport official was quoted by PTI as saying. The officials, however, have suspected technical glitch as the cause of the incident. The black box of the aircraft was recovered from the spot.
According to Tribhuvan airport, 25 injured passengers have been rescued and sent to different hospitals for treatment. TIA said there were 37 males, 27 females and 2 child onboard the aircraft. Nepali Prime Minister and Home minister reached the airport to coordinate the rescue effort.
The airport has been closed following the crash.
The Dhaka-based US-Bangla Airlines is a private carrier that launched in July 2014 with the motto "Fly Fast Fly Safe".
(With agency reports)