Buddha Air flight with 55 on board skids off runway in Nepal; all safe

A Buddha Air flight with 55 people on board skidded off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport in Nepal's Jhapa district. According to officials, all 51 passengers and four crew members were rescued safely, with no injuries reported.

A Buddha Air flight number 901 from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur skidded off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport in Nepal's Jhapa district late Friday night.

According to the officials, the aircraft was carrying 51 passengers and four crew members. No injuries were reported.

Passengers and Crew Rescued

Nepal Police said the incident occurred during landing and confirmed that all passengers and crew were safely rescued.

"The Buddha Air flight that took off from Kathmandu with 51 passengers and 4 crew members to Bhadrapur Airport in Jhapa District met with an accident during the landing process at Bhadrapur Airport. All individuals have been safely rescued by Nepal Police and the concerned authorities," Nepal Police said in a post on X.

Buddha Air Confirms Incident, Dispatches Team

Buddha Air said the aircraft veered off the runway while landing.

"The flight number 901 from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur, aircraft 9N-AMF, has veered off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport. There were 51 passengers on board the aircraft. All passengers and crew [4 persons] are safe," the airline said in a statement on X.

The airline added that a technical and relief team was being sent from Kathmandu on another aircraft to assess the situation. "A technical and relief team is being dispatched from Kathmandu on another aircraft," the statement said.

Investigation Underway

The flight took off at 8:23 pm from Kathmandu and was scheduled to remain overnight at Bhadrapur Airport and return to Kathmandu on the first flight the following morning, The Kathmandu Post reported.

Authorities said further details would be shared after inspections and technical assessments are completed.

Nepal's Air Safety Record Under Scrutiny

The incident comes amid continued scrutiny of air safety in Nepal following a series of serious aviation accidents in recent years. In July 2024, a Saurya Airlines Bombardier CRJ200LR crashed after taking off from Kathmandu, killing 18 of the 19 people on board. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)