Feature: Passengers feel lucky to escape with lives after Turkish Airlines plane crash

Jacklien, a 23-year-old from Holland, had no shortage of happiness and joy at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) in Nepal on Thursday afternoon. Dressed in a white top and carrying a backpack, her cheerfulness was clearly visible in her eyes and speech as she expressed her joy at being alive.

Jacklien was one of the 227 passengers of the Turkish Airlines aircraft that veered off the runway and hit a grassy shoulder during landing. The incident happened at around 7:40 local time on Wednesday morning.

However, all the passengers and crew members had been safely evacuated and only a few suffered minor injuries.

"At first it was very quiet and everybody was relaxed but then we saw smoke inside the plane. The firemen came inside and the army started to run. We were too scared and started screaming. I thought that it was the last day of my life,"Jacklien, who reached TIA with her 20 member group from Holland to receive her luggage, shared with Xinhua. "Now, I am very happy as we all are, to be safe and alive."

Her statement was echoed by Betsy from Holland, who landed in this beautiful Himalayan country for the first time to see mountains.

Betsy expressed her joy to Xinhua."The experience was totally unexpected and scary but I feel blessed that nothing went fatally wrong. I hope to visit beautiful places in Nepal and see mountains and rivers in the coming two weeks."

The aircraft that had a seven-hour flight from Istanbul to Nepal's capital Kathmandu was making a second attempt at landing when it skidded off the runway amid bad weather and poor visibility.

Though the weather condition is assumed to be the main reason behind the incident, authorities have not made public the exact cause.

Following the incident, the only international airport in Nepal remained closed for a whole day barring all the flights. Though domestic flights have been resumed, all international flights have been postponed until Friday morning.

Among 227 passengers of Turkish Airlines, most of them are in Nepal for sightseeing purposes.

"We were asleep but when we woke up, we didn't understand what was happening. We were exchanging confused and scared glances at each other.The plane was full of smoke and we couldn't be sure whether we were in the air or on the ground. But once we were on the ground, we felt everything was really ok,"Israeli passenger Noah told Xinhua.

Noah was accompanied by her elder sister and mother to meet her twin,who has been in Nepal for the last few months. "The beginning of this trip has left an unforgettable memory, however, it's like being born again. We are lucky to escape from such a terrifying incident,"said her 58-year-old mother Meddy.

The closure of TIA has left thousands of passengers stranded in the airport's premises. The cancellation of flights has also left the tourism business out of pocket as the industry is a major means of economic development in the small Asian nation.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force's Hercules aircraft landed at TIA on Thursday afternoon along with aircraft removal equipment to remove the airline from the grassy shoulder.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has said they are investigating into the incident. Endi