Relatives of Bangladeshi passengers of the U.S.-Bangla aircraft were extremely anxious about the fate of their family members.
Among the passengers was a five-member family from Gazipur, located in the outskirts of Dhaka. The family members are: F.H. Priok, his wife Almun Nahar Annie, their child Tamarra Prionmoyee, his cousin Mehedi Hasan and Mehedi’s wife Saiyada Kamrunnahar Shwarna.
Tamarra died in the crash, said a close relative while the fate of the other four members remains uncertain.
Medical college students
At least 13 Nepali students from Bangladesh’s Ragib-Rabeya Medical College, in northeastern Sylhet, were also travelling in the plane. Three of them are reportedly in a critical condition while two were taken to the intensive care unit of a Kathmandu hospital, Mytrayee Dev Roy, a teacher of the medical college, said. They were travelling to Kathmandu from Bangladesh after finishing their final examinations.
Basanta Bohora, an employee of Raswita International Travels and Tours, is one of the survivors of the deadly plane crash. “There were 16 Nepalis from various travel agencies on-board the airplane,” said Bohora, “We had gone to Bangladesh for training.”
Sanzida Bipasha, her husband Rafiq Zaman Rimu and their six-year-old son Aniruddha were in the plane. Sanzida works as coordinator at a leading NGO — Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik ( Sujan) — and was on a trip to Kathmandu on a vacation.
Another passenger on the plane was Emrana Kabir Hashi, a lecturer of computer science and engineering department from Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology. She was travelling with her husband Rokibul Hasan, a software engineer.
Last conversation
Meanwhile, the CEO of the U.S.-Bangla Airlines, Imran Asif, claimed that ‘wrong signals’ from the air traffic control tower at Tribhuvan International Airport might have led to the crash.
He also said a conversation between the pilot, Abid Sultan, and the air traffic control at the airport indicated that it had sent ‘wrong signals’ to the pilot. “We are not accusing anyone now. We suspect it might have led to the crash.”
Meanwhile, Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Sanjiv Gautam claimed that the aircraft was out of control while attempting to land on the runway. “The plane was out of control when it attempted to land on the runway. The aircraft was permitted to land from the Southern side of the runway over Koteshwor but it landed from the Northern side,” Sanjiv Gautam also told The Kathmandu Post . He also said the aircraft might have sustained some technical glitches. “We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the unusual landing.”
Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is away in Singapore, expressed shock at the tragedy and ordered immediate probe.
