2 pilots killed as plane crash lands in Nepal
KATHMANDU. KAZINFORM Injured passengers of an ill-fated plane which made a force landing in western Nepal have been airlifted to Nepalgunj for medical treatment, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
Two pilots were killed when the 9N-AJB plane of Air Kasthamandap, carrying nine passengers and two crew members on board, crash landed in the remote district of Kalikot while enroute to Jumla district from Nepalgunj, after failing to land at Jumla airport due to some technical glitches.
Pradeep Shrestha, chief district officer at the Kalikot district, informed Xinhua over phone, "We have just sent nine injured passengers to Nepalgunj Medical College through a helicopter of Shree Airlines."
Among the nine, two passengers are said to be in critical condition. Although the aircraft's front part was destroyed completely, passengers survived as the middle and rear parts remain unaffected.
Meanwhile, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has expressed condolences to the families of the two crew members killed.
According to a statement issued by the prime minister's press adviser, the prime minister has directed authorities to carry out rescue operations as soons as possible.
The incident comes just two days after the fatal air crash of Tara Airlines in Myagdi district, killing all 23 people on board including three crew members.
Source: BERNAMA