KATHMANDU – At least 49 people were killed and 22 injured after a passenger plane of the US-Bangla Airlines crashed in course of landing at Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Monday afternoon, according to the country’s government.
The UBG211 flight was en route to Kathmandu from Bangladesh’s capital city. The plane crashed in course of landing at the airport due to missed approach of the pilot, the authorities said.
The US-Bangla Airlines is a privately-owned Bangladeshi airline headquartered in Dhaka.
The aircraft carrying 71 persons including four crew members narrowly escaped from hitting the tail of Thai Airways plane parked at the airport, General Manager of the TIA Rajkumar Chhetri told media.
Of the total passengers onboard, 33 were from Nepal, 32 from Bangladesh, one from China and one from the Maldives, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
Rescue teams of Nepal Police and Nepal Army were deployed to carry out rescue operations immediately after the crash. Dozens of firefighters and rescuers rushed to the crash site, and the flames were put out in a relatively short time.
The airport was temporarily closed for all international flights following the accident.
The injured are receiving treatment at local hospitals in Kathmandu. Officials said that the death toll may further increase.
Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli spoke to his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina following the incident and expressed sorrow over the loss of lives.
In March 2015, a Turkish Airlines flight crash-landed at Nepal’s only international airport with no casualties.
The Himalayan nation is still recovering after the deadly earthquake of 2015 killed nearly 9,000 people.
