US-Bangla Airlines suspends flights to Kathmandu after Nepal crash kills 51

A passenger plane of Bangladesh’s private US-Bangla Airlines crashed and burst into flames while landing at Nepal’s Tribhuvan International airport.

The US-Bangla Airlines has suspended flights to Kathmandu for an indefinite period following its passenger plane crash at Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport which left at least 51 people dead earlier this week.

Nepalese rescuers and police near the debris of a passenger plane from Bangladesh that crashed at the airport in Kathmandu on March 12. (AP)

The airline headquartered in Dhaka said in a statement on Thursday that they have stopped operating the Dhaka-Kathmandu-Dhaka flights temporarily.

A passenger plane of Bangladesh’s private US Bangla Airlines crashed and burst into flames while landing at Nepal’s international airport with 71 people onboard.

Amid rumours of miscommunication between the pilot and the air traffic control causing the accident, the Nepali government formed a panel to initiate an investigation into the crash.

“At this stage, we have no further information concerning the circumstances of the accident and US-Bangla is not in a position to speculate on the cause of this tragedy,” the company has said on its website.

The US-Bangla Airlines said it will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation of all associated government agencies. To facilitate the cooperation, it established an emergency response centre at its headquarters in Dhaka.

The rescued Nepali and Bangladeshi passengers were undergoing treatment in different hospitals in Kathmandu.