Almost half of the 28 passengers of the US-Bangla Airlines jet that caught fire while landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) Monday afternoon have died. There were 71 persons on board including the crew members, according to the police.
"Twenty-eight of the 71 persons have been rescued," Tourism Secretary Krishna Devkota told Setopati. Four of the rescued passengers are kids, according to Devkota.
Thirty-seven of the 71 on board are men and the rest are women and kids, according to the TIA. Only 28 persons could be rescued as most of those inside the plane were killed.
The TIA has confirmed there were 33 Nepalis on board. The nationalities of the injured and dead passengers have yet to be officially confirmed and broken down.
Our correspondent Giris Giri, who is at KMC Hospital where some of the passengers were brought for treatment, has confirmed that many of the passengers have succumbed to their injuries.
"We don't know the exact number of passengers brought here. But almost half of them are dead," a doctor involved in treatment told Giri.
The exact number of persons who have been taken to the hospital for treatment and how many of them are still alive have yet to be confirmed.
Nepal Police Spokesperson Manoj Neupane confirmed that the plane had an accident while landing. Security persons are rescuing the passengers.
The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 plane was arriving from Dhaka.
The fire has been taken under control now, according to the TIA Office.
