Post by : Shakul

A Turkish Airlines passenger aircraft caught fire while landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Monday morning, creating panic among passengers and temporarily disrupting international flight operations at Nepal’s busiest airport. The incident happened when the aircraft’s tyre caught fire during touchdown on the runway. Emergency teams quickly reached the spot and managed to control the fire before it could spread further.

The aircraft was identified as Turkish Airlines flight TK726, which had arrived in Kathmandu from Istanbul. According to airport officials, the incident took place at around 6:45 am during landing. Soon after the tyre caught fire, airport emergency services rushed fire engines to the runway. Authorities immediately activated safety protocols and opened emergency exits to evacuate all passengers safely from the aircraft.

Officials confirmed that there were 277 passengers on board, including four children, along with 11 crew members. Some United Nations officials were also travelling on the same flight. During the evacuation process, a few passengers suffered minor injuries due to panic and the emergency rescue operation. However, no major injuries or casualties were reported. Airport authorities later confirmed that all passengers and crew members were safely rescued from the aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal stated that the aircraft was also carrying cargo and human remains at the time of the incident. After the fire was brought under control, the aircraft remained stranded on the runway, causing temporary disruption to flight operations at Tribhuvan International Airport. Several international flights arriving in Kathmandu were forced to remain on hold in the air until the runway was cleared for operations.

Among the flights affected were Air India flight AI215 arriving from Delhi, Air Arabia flight G9536 from Sharjah, flydubai services from Dubai, Drukair flights from Paro, and Nepal Airlines flights arriving from Kuala Lumpur and Guangzhou. Airport authorities closely monitored the situation while emergency teams continued safety inspections on the runway and aircraft.

Videos shared on social media showed smoke and flames near the landing gear area of the aircraft while emergency vehicles surrounded the plane on the runway. The visuals created concern online as passengers were seen being evacuated through emergency exits. Officials later assured that the situation was fully under control and investigations had started to determine the exact reason behind the tyre fire incident.

Authorities are now examining the aircraft and runway conditions to understand what caused the fire during landing. Airport operations resumed gradually after emergency teams completed the initial safety checks. The incident has once again raised concerns about aviation safety and emergency preparedness at busy international airports.

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