We mourn the tragic plane crash

The tragic US-Bangla plane crash at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu has left us shocked.

There were 71 people on board the US-Bangla Airlines aircraft from Dhaka when it crashed into a football field near Kathmandu's Tribhuvan Airport. The death toll was reported to be at least 49 of whom 26 were Bangladeshis, 21 Nepalese, one Chinese and another Maldivian. There were 36 Bangladeshis including two children on the board.   At least 26 Bangladeshis including four crew members have died and another 10 are taking treatment at different hospitals in Nepal.

The aircraft reportedly left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:51pm on March 12, which was scheduled to reach Kathmandu at 2:20 pm.  The aircraft landed on an empty field near the runway and caught fire leaving behind a trail of wreckage and destruction.

The tragic incident has left us shocked, saddened and at a loss for words. In this moment, we express sorrow and grief to the bereaved families who are trying to come to terms with the loss of lives of their loved ones.

This is one of the deadliest civil aviation disasters in Bangladesh's history. About 34 years ago in 1984, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines Fokker F27-600 crashed into a marsh near Dhaka airport while landing in poor weather. The aircraft was performing a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Patenga Airport, Chittagong and Dhaka. With a total death toll of 49 people (45 passengers and four crew members), it was the deadliest aviation disaster to occur on Bangladeshi soil.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have expressed their shock and deepest condolences to those who have been killed and injured in US-Bangla plane crash in Nepal. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has returned home curtailing her four-day official visit to Singapore by a day following the plane crash. A flight of US-Bangla Airlines, carrying 46 relatives of victims who died and injured in Monday’s deadly crash, reached Kathmandu on Tuesday morning. The airline authority has announced that it will bear all costs to bring back dead bodies of the victims and all treatment costs of the passengers who are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Nepal. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister AKM Shahjahan Kamal is now in Nepal to monitor personally the latest situation of the deadly crash. The leading cellular phone service providers have offered free call to the Nepal numbers after the tragic plane accident.

This is not the time for anyone to lay blame on any single reason or party. We expect that the probe bodies will reveal the main reasons of the plane crash. Recommendations will be made following the official findings of the investigation so that such incident cannot repeat in future.


risingbd/Dhaka/March 14, 2018/Shanewaz/Mukul