Wednesday, 14/03/2018 16:52 (GMT+7)
At least 49 were killed and 22 injured when a Bangladeshi plane crashed and burst into flames near Kathmandu Airport as it was coming in to land.
(Source: The Sun/VNA)
"Forty people died at the spot and nine died at two hospitals in Kathmandu," Nepal's police spokesman Manoj Neupane said, adding that another 22 were injured.
Officials said there were 67 passengers and 4 crew members on the US-Bangla Airlines plane from Dhaka when it crashed just east of the runway and skidded into a nearby football field.
Those aboard included 33 Nepali passengers, with 32 from Bangladesh, one from China and one from the Maldives.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but a statement from airport authorities said the plane was "out of control" as it came in to land.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of Nepal telephoned his Bangladesh counterpart and expressed sorrow at the loss of lives in the crash. “Extremely shocked by unfortunate crash of US-Bangla aircraft carrying 67 passengers and 4 crew members. Express deep sorrow on loss of lives and condolences to bereaved families and also wish for early recovery of injured persons. Government will investigate the incident immediately,” he tweeted.
US-Bangla Airlines is owned by US-Bangla Group, a joint venture company with offices in Dhaka, New York, India and other Asian hubs. It has been operating since 2014 out of its home airport in Bangladesh and flies to several domestic and international destinations. The parent company is involved in a number of industries, including real estate, education and agriculture./.
Compiled by BTA