Turkish Airlines Plane catches fire during landing in Kathmandu, International flights disrupted

Kathmandu – International flight operations at Tribhuvan International Airport were disrupted after a Turkish Airlines aircraft caught fire while landing in Kathmandu on Monday morning and became stranded on the main runway.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the aircraft was unable to move from the runway immediately, affecting the regular schedule of large international flights.CAAN Information Officer Gyanendra Bhul said flight operations were temporarily suspended as authorities worked to move the aircraft to the taxiway and evacuate passengers safely.

The Turkish Airlines flight TK726, arriving in Kathmandu from Istanbul, caught fire in its wheels while landing at around 6:45 am. The fire was later extinguished using fire engines Passengers were evacuated through the aircraft’s emergency exits. The flight was carrying 277 passengers, including four children. Authorities confirmed that all passengers are safe.Some passengers reportedly sustained minor hand injuries during the evacuation process Officials also said the aircraft was carrying several dead bodies along with a large amount of luggage and cargo.