An airplane crash-landed near Kathmandu’s international airport in Nepal, killing at least 49 passengers on the 78-seater plane, The Associated Press reported.
The US-Bangla Airlines flight went through an hour and 40 minute flight without any noticeable problems but started “behaving strangely” on its descent to the airport. The plane crash-landed on a nearby football field, catching fire on impact, a survivor from the flight told the AP.
WATCH:
Clouds of smoke are seen rising from the scene of a passenger plane crash at Kathmandu airport in Nepal. The plane appeared to have caught fire just before it landed and skidded to a stop in a field beside the runway, an airport official said. https://t.co/Zh6Rp2YTym pic.twitter.com/m5GP86ABts
— ABC News (@ABC) March 12, 2018
The plane attempted to land at the airport from the wrong direction, the airport manager told CNN.
“The plane had permission to land from the southern side of the runway but they instead landed from the northern side. Authorities do not know why they did not land from the southern side,” Tribhuvan International Airport General Manager Raj Kumar Chhetri said.
WATCH:
Video shows firefighters at the site of a plane crash at Kathmandu airport in Nepal as the rescue operation continues. There were 67 passengers onboard, with 17 rescued so far. https://t.co/AUQEPjGPqw pic.twitter.com/lbfX2bhn98
— ABC News (@ABC) March 12, 2018
Of the roughly 70 passengers on board the flight, around 20 are being treated for injuries.
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“Thank God I was able to escape through a cracked window,” the crash survivor told the AP while being treated at Norvic International Hospital near the airport. “I hope I will survive now.”
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