Turkish Airlines plane catches fire while landing in Kathmandu; 278 passengers on board

A Turkish Airlines aircraft caught fire while landing at Nepal's Tribhuvan international airport on Monday morning, forcing an emergency evacuation of all passengers and crew. No injuries were reported in the incident.The fire broke out at approximately 6:45 am on Monday as flight TK 726, arriving from Istanbul, touched down on the runway. Ground observers and airport officials reported seeing visible flames and smoke emanating from the right landing gear of the aircraft during the landing. “The Turkish Airlines TK 726 was en route to Kathmandu from Istanbul and the tyre had caught fire while landing. Using the fire engine, it has been contained. All the passengers are safely evacuated,” SP Rajkumar Silawal from the Airport security told ANI.According to airport officials, the aircraft was carrying a total of 278 passengers and 11 crew members. The passenger manifest included several United Nations officials travelling to the capital.Turkish Airlines operates a vital air link between its Istanbul hub and Kathmandu, and this is the second significant incident involving the carrier in Nepal this year, as in February, a flight carrying 236 people made an emergency landing in Kolkata after its right engine caught fire shortly after departing Kathmandu.