NEPAL PLANE CRASH TOLL RISES TO 51

Kathmandu, March 13: The toll in Nepal’s worst aviation disaster rose to 51 on Tuesday with the death of two more passengers, as Bangladeshi experts joined the probe amid reports of an apparent confusion between the pilot and air traffic control over the runway.

The Dhaka to Kathmandu US-Bangla Airlines flight, with 67 passengers and four crew members on board, caught fire after it careened off the runway and ploughed into a football ground near the Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday.

The Nepal home ministry confirmed the death of 51 people in the crash — the deadliest aviation accident in 25 years in Nepal, according to Himalayan Times.

Earlier on Tuesday, hospital authorities confirmed the death of pilot Captain Abid Sultan. His co-pilot First Officer Prithula Rashid was died on Monday, the report said.

Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi delegation joined a six-member Nepali committee to probe the crash-landing.