KATHMANDU, JANUARY 3
A technical team led by Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Deo Chandra Lal Karn, reached Bhadrapur Airport on Saturday morning to assess Friday night's Buddha Air runway overrun incident.
According to Buddha Air, the CAAN team-along with representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the airline's technical experts-arrived at the airport with necessary equipment to support inspection and investigation work related to Kathmandu–Bhadrapur flight U4 901.
The ATR-72 aircraft overran the eastern end of the runway by around 300 metres while landing at Bhadrapur Airport at about 9:10 pm on Friday, entering grassy and muddy terrain. Seven people, including co-pilot Sushant Shrestha, were injured in the incident.
In a notice issued on Saturday morning, Buddha Air stated that it was taking the incident "very seriously" and expressed gratitude to the Nepal Police, Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, CAAN officials, and its own staff for the prompt rescue operation.
"All passengers who sustained minor injuries have been discharged after receiving first aid and have safely returned home," the airline said, adding that it remains fully committed to cooperating with CAAN in the detailed investigation of the incident.
Police said there were 51 passengers, four crew members, and one aircraft engineer on board at the time. Co-pilot Shrestha, 24, of Lalitpur-4, sustained head and facial injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at Omsai Pathibhara Hospital in Bhadrapur. Six other injured passengers were discharged after minor treatment.
The Jhapa District Police Office stated that around 70 security personnel were mobilized immediately after the incident to evacuate passengers and secure the site.
The aircraft had departed Kathmandu at 8:23 pm. Authorities said technical assessment and operational review are ongoing to determine the cause of the runway overrun.
