30 injured as Biman aircraft skids off runway in Yangon
A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dhaka to Yangon skidded off the runway while landing at Yangon Airport in Myanmar on Wednesday evening due to inclement weather, leaving around 30 people injured.
"Unfortunately, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dhaka to Yangon skidded off the runway while landing this evening. Weather was not good at that time,” said an official at the Bangladesh mission in Yangon wishing anonymity.
He said all the passengers --around 30 -- were injured in the accident and over 15 of them were hospitalised.
The aircraft suffered major damages, the official added.
However, Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Md Mohibul Haque told UNB that 15 passengers were injured in the incident and all of them are out of danger. “There’s no serious injury. The injured were being treated at Myanmar hospital,” he said.
Biman General Manager (Public Relations) Shakil Meraj, said the Dash 8 aircraft with 33 people on board -- 29 passengers, two pilots and two cabin crewmembers -- left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 3:45pm.
It skidded off the runway around 6:22pm due to inclement weather while landing at the Yangon Airport, he said, claiming that all the passengers are safe.
Shakil Meraj also said they are sending a special aircraft to Yangon at 10pm today to bring back the return flight passengers and crewmembers.
Meanwhile, Yangon Aerodrome Company Limited, which is the operator of the Yangon international airport, in a statement said after the accident, the runway was closed according to ATC (Air Traffic Control) procedures.
All passengers and crew immediately received proper treatment, transportation and support. The official entities also reported to the craft side just after the accident.
It said their immediate priority was to take care of passengers and crew members to ensure their safety and well-being. In a subsequent phase, they will coordinate with authorities and air operator in order to expedite the removal of the wreckage and to resume normal operations as soon as possible.
YACL responded immediately to the occurrence. There were no casualties thus far and the situation is under control. Representatives from Myanmar's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (AIIB) reported to the crash site, and accident investigations will follow.
