US-Bangla plane crash: Pilot’s wife in hospital after stroke

Afsana Khanam, the widow of Abid Sultan, who piloted the US-Bangla flight that crashed in Kathmandu, has been hospitalised with a stroke.

A close relative told bdnews24.com that she was admitted to Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar’s National Institute of Neuroscience and Hospital on Sunday morning.

Md Shihab Uddin, who works at the hospital’s information desk, told bdnews24.com that Afsana suffered a stroke.

“A surgery was conducted following a decision by the medical board after her admission. She is currently in the ICU.”

Hospital Joint Director Prof Dr Badrul Alam is in charge of Afsana’s treatment, said Shihab Uddin.

The US-Bangla flight crashed during its landing in Kathmandu on Mar 12, killing 49, including 26 Bangladeshi nationals.

The US-Bangla authorities initially stated that Captain Abid Sultan had been hospitalised with injuries, but confirmed his death the next day.

“We told Afsana Khanam the news, but she could not believe it,” a close friend of Abid told bdnews24.com. “She recovered a bit after she heard he was alive. But she broke down completely after hearing the news of his death.”

A graduate from Dhaka’s Residential Model College, Abid was once a member of the Bangladesh Air Force.

Following the crash questions were raised as to whether Abid, who had over 5,000 in-flight hours on his record, or members of the crew were weary from the long flight. The US-Bangla authority has denied the claim.

A newspaper report cited a close co-worker of Abid, who claimed the pilot had submitted his resignation letter to US-Bangla Airlines the day before the crash, but that it had not been accepted.

US-Bangla Airlines Managing Director Mohammed Abdullah Al Mamun denied the claim.

Sultan’s co-pilot Prithula Rashid and crew members, Khwaja Hossain Mohammad Shafey and Sharmin Akter Nabila, were also killed in the crash.