Biman aircraft skids off runway at Yangon airport, 19 hospitalised

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines plane with 33 people on board from Dhaka has skidded off the runway at Yangon International Airport in Myanmar and 19 of them have been hospitalised.

The accident occurred when the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft from Dhaka was landing amidst bad weather on Wednesday evening, Biman spokesman Shakil Meraj told bdnews24.com.

The 19 injured were admitted to North Okkalapa General Hospital, Bangladesh Ambassador to Myanmar Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury told bdnews24.com from the hospital by telephone.

The others on board the flight were also injured, but released after first-aid at the airport, the ambassador said.

The injuries were not life-threatening, he added.

The aircraft fuselage broke in three and the undercarriage collapsed, according to Aviation Safety Network, which covers air accident and safety issues.

Weather at Yangon was poor due to the presence of a thunderstorm in the area, it said in an entry on the accident on its website.

There was no fire and all on board are said to have survived, it added.

The flight BG060 had 33 people on board – 29 passengers, including a child, two pilots, and two cabin crew, according to Shakil, a Biman general manager.

The plane left Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 3:45pm and was landing at 6:22pm Bangladesh time, Shakil said.   

The injured included a pilot identified as Shamim Nazrul, Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Mohibul Haque earlier told bdnews24.com.