50 dies in US-Bangla air crash at Nepal

FT ONLINE

At least 50 people died after a Bangladeshi plane named 'US-Bangla Airlines' aircraft flying from Dhaka to Kathmandu has crashed while landing at Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday around 2:20pm.

As many as 71 persons, including four crew members, were on-board the aircraft, of which 37 were Bangladeshis, 32 were Nepalis, one Chinese and one Maldivian nationals.

Captain Abib was leading the contingent along with co-pilot Prithula. Khwaja and Nabila were the flight crews in the flight.

The aircraft with call sign S2-AGU took off from Dhaka at 12.51pm (Bangladesh time). The airport authority cancelled all flights following the accident

Twenty-five people were rescued from the fallen aircraft and taken to Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital (KMCTH) in Sinamangal. However, 7 of those rescued were pronounced dead upon arrival.

Bangladesh will send special flight after opening of the Tribhuvan International Airport to take back the bodies as the airport is now closed due to crash.

“The plane shoots off the run away while it was about to crash into the hanger and immediately caught fire,” an airport official said.

Many fire-fighting engines and ambulances rushed to the accident site immediately as news of the crash broke.

The airport officials, however, have suspected technical glitch as the cause of the incident.

Planning Ministry officials Umme Salma and Nazia Afrin Chowdhury were on an official visit to Nepal for three days, confirms Mahbub Munir, public relations officer of the ministry. US-Bangla official, SM Abul Kalam Azad, said they have been informed about the tragedy after one and half hour of take off.

Meanwhile, all the passengers are collecting or waiting to collect their luggage on cancellation of the domestic and the international flights, according to Shradha Giri, one of the passengers who was present at the airport while the crash happened. The airport has been closed.

Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Nepal Mashfee Binte Shams have reached the airport.

PM condoles deaths in Kathmandu plane crash

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the loss of lives and injuries in the crash of an aircraft of US Bangla Airlines.

The Prime Minister, who is now in Singapore on a four day official visit, prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls.

She also prayed for the quick recovery of the injured passengers. She expressed sympathy to the bereaved families.

BD embassy opens hotline for Nepal plane crash victims

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam held a press conference in Dhaka after the accident.

He has informed people about the Bangladesh Embassy’s Emergency Hotline number in his official Facebook page, moments after news of the US-Bangla Airlines plane crash in Kathmandu broke out.

He said that embassy officials are now present in both the airport and hospitals. He posted that the embassy can be reached at +9779810100401 (Md Al Alamul Emam, Consular, Embassy of Bangladesh in Nepal), +9779861467422 (Asit Baran Sarker).

He urged everyone to be patient to get the exact news.

US-Bangla Airlines is a unit of the US-Bangla Group, a US Bangladeshi joint venture company. They launched operations in July 2014 and operates Bombardier Inc and Boeing aircraft.