Bangladesh will observe one-day state mourning on Thursday in view of the Monday’s aviation tragedy when the private US- Bangla craft crashed in Nepal claiming over 50 lives.

‘A high-level emergency meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair took the decision to observe the State Mourning,’ said PM’s Principal Secretary Mohammad Nojibur Rahman after emerging from the meeting at the PMO.

He said according to the decision national flag would be kept half-mast throughout the day while mosques and places of worships like temples, churches and pagodas across the country were asked to stage prayers on Friday to seek eternal peace of the of those who died in the crash and for early recovery of the injured.

The principal secretary said the premier asked authorities concerned at the meeting to take preventive measures to avoid such air crashes in future and particularly asked the ministries and divisions concerned and the airlines operators to follow properly the international aviation safety regulations.

The principal secretary said the prime minister requested the countrymen to have patience at this time, describing the crash as a big ‘accident for us’.

She mourned for the passengers, the pilots and crew of the craft and two Planning Commission officials saying they were part of ‘our meritorious community’ and directed the authorities concerned to ensure proper treatment of those who were admitted to different hospitals in Nepal.

The prime minister, he said, also directed authorities to extend assistance for the burn wounded Nepalese nationals of the craft as Bangladesh has better facilities for burn injury patients.

Rahman said the prime minister was deeply shocked at the loss of life and property and it was reflected in her video message that she sent from Singapore ahead of returning home cutting short her overseas tour.

The principal secretary said arrangements were underway to bring back the bodies of the dead from Nepal.

The US-Bangla Airlines aircraft crashed and burst into flames while landing at Trivubhan International Airport in Kathmandu on Monday afternoon killing at least 50 passengers.