Turkish Airlines plane with 278 passengers on board catches fire while landing at Kathmandu airport | Video
There were a total of 278 passengers and 11 crew members on the flight. The passengers also included some United Nations Officials. No official statement or announcement has been made by the airport or the airline company over the incident.
A Turkish Airlines aircraft caught fire at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on early Monday morning, said officials. Authorities said the fire was quickly brought under control, and all passengers and crew members were evacuated safely.
The flight en route from Istanbul to Kathmandu caught fire on the right tyres while landing, triggering the evacuation and rescue of all the passengers. "The aircraft with call sign TK726 was en route to Kathmandu from Istanbul, and the tyre had caught fire while landing. Using the fire engine, it has been contained. All the passengers are safely evacuated," SP Rajkumar Silawal from the Airport security told news agency ANI over the phone.
Officials said the flight was carrying 278 passengers and 11 crew members. Some United Nations officials were also among the passengers on board.
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Videos circulating on social media showed flames erupting from the right landing gear of the Turkish Airlines aircraft, with thick grey smoke billowing from the plane during landing at Tribhuvan International Airport.
Passengers were later evacuated through the emergency exits.
So far, neither the airport authorities nor the airline has issued an official statement on the incident. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
Similar incidents of Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines has been involved in similar incidents at Tribhuvan International Airport.
In the year 2015, an aircraft of the company had skidded off the runway and veered onto the grassy shoulder after losing balance during landing. This had forced the airport to remain shut for four days. Initial reports at the time suggested that a loss of situation awareness of the flight captain during the final approach resulted in the Airbus A330 missing the runway's centre line.
The flight with the same call-sign TK726 from Istanbul was carrying 224 people when it ploughed into the grassland on the left side of the runway at Kathmandu's fog-covered airport. No passengers were hurt during the incident, but all the passengers were evacuated through the emergency doors.
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