The Q400 has sustained several landing gear incidents over the years but this is just the second crash of the aircraft resulting in death.

All 49 people on board were killed on Feb. 12, 2009 when a Colgan Air flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, stalled and crashed into a house while preparing to land at the airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that pilot error, including the response by the captain, was the main cause of the accident.

Officials at Kathmandu Medical College, the closest hospital to Nepal's only international airport, said they were treating 16 survivors of the Q400 crash.

An AP journalist who arrived at the scene soon after the crash saw the twin-propeller plane broken into several large pieces, with dozens of firefighters and rescue workers clustered around the wreckage in a grassy field near the runway. Hundreds of people stood on a nearby hill, staring down at what remained of the propeller plane.

The plane swerved repeatedly as it prepared to land in Kathmandu, said Amanda Summers, an American working in Nepal. The crowded city sits in a valley in the Himalayan foothills.

"It was flying so low I thought it was going to run into the mountains," said Summers, who watched the crash from the terrace of her home office, not far from the airport. "All of a sudden there was a blast and then another blast."

Fire crews put out the flames quickly, perhaps within a minute, she said, though for a time clouds of thick, dark smoke rose into the sky above the city.

The 17-year-old plane had circled Tribhuvan International Airport twice as it waited for clearance to land, a company official said.

Meanwhile the crash of the out-of-production business jet was owned by the private holding company of Turkish businessman Huseyin Basaran.

Those on board included Basaran's daughter Mina, 28, and seven of her friends, all flying back from a party ahead of her planned wedding next month.

Iranian investigators on Monday found the "black box" from the Turkish plane and all the dead from the crash site in the Zagros Mountains, some 370 kilometres south of Iran's capital, Tehran, according to a report by the state-run IRNA news agency.

It remains unclear what caused the crash, though a witness told state television the Bombardier CL604 was on fire before it hit the mountain.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage of the site where the US-Bangla plane came to rest

A plane carrying 71 passengers and crew has crashed on landing at Nepal's Kathmandu airport, killing 49 people, according to police.

Rescuers pulled bodies from the charred wreckage of the plane, operated by Bangladeshi airline US-Bangla, after a raging fire was put out.

The airline has blamed air traffic control, but the airport says the plane approached from the wrong direction.

Flight BS211 veered off the runway while landing on Monday afternoon.

The exact cause of the crash remains unclear and Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli promised an immediate investigation.

However, a recording of the conversation between the pilot and air traffic control minutes before the plane crashed suggests some misunderstanding over which end of the sole runway the plane was cleared to land on.

Moments before the plane crash-landed, an air traffic controller is heard in the recording obtained by the BBC from air traffic monitor LiveATC telling the pilot: "I say again, turn!"

Twenty-two people are being treated in hospital for injuries, police spokesperson Manoj Neupane told the BBC's Nepali service.

The plane, which was flying from the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, was a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop and was 17 years old.

How did the disaster unfold?

The plane landed at 14:20 local time (08:35 GMT), according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption A survivor said the plane had begun to behave strangely as it approached Kathmandu

"The aircraft was permitted to land from the southern side of the runway flying over Koteshwor, but it landed from the northern side," Sanjiv Gautam, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.

"We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the unusual landing."

However, US-Bangla Airlines chief executive Imran Asif blamed Kathmandu air traffic control.

"There were wrong directions from the tower. Our pilot was not at fault," he told reporters at his office in Dhaka.

"Our pilot is an instructor of this Bombardier aircraft. His flight hours are over 5,000. There was a fumble from the control tower."

Airport general manager Raj Kumar Chettri told Reuters news agency that the plane hit the airport fence before touching ground.

"The plane should have come from the right direction," he said.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Basanta Bohora, who escaped the plane, is recovering in hospital

One of the survivors, Nepalese travel agent Basanta Bohora, described from his hospital bed what he had experienced.

After a normal take-off from Dhaka, the plane had begun to behave strangely as it approached Kathmandu, he said.

"All of a sudden the plane shook violently and there was a loud bang afterwards," he was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.

"I was seated near the window and was able to break out of the window," he added.

"I have no recollection after I got out of the plane, someone took me to Sinamangal hospital, and from there my friends brought me to Norvic [hospital]. I have injuries to my head and legs, but I am fortunate that I survived."

What do we know of the casualties?

The plane was carrying 67 passengers and four crew.

It is now known that 33 of the passengers were Nepalis, 32 were Bangladeshi, one was Chinese and one was from the Maldives.

Among the 22 people injured, some are in a critical condition.

An airline worker said he saw two or three people fall or jump from the windows of the burning plane.

Does Nepal have a bad aviation safety record?

Its airline companies are banned from flying within the European Union.

Image copyright Bishnu Sapkota Image caption The plane reportedly hit a fence before touching down and crashing

There have been many aviation incidents in Nepal, but this is the deadliest since a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed on approach in September 1992, killing all 167 on board.

Earlier that same year, a Thai Airways plane crashed near the airport, leaving 113 people dead.

Pilots say that landing at Kathmandu airport can be challenging because of the mountainous landscape.

Recent aviation incidents in Nepal include:

February 2016: Twenty-three people were killed when a small passenger plane crashed in mountainous western Nepal

Twenty-three people were killed when a small passenger plane crashed in mountainous western Nepal March 2015: Lucky escape for passengers after plane skids off runway in fog in Kathmandu

Lucky escape for passengers after plane skids off runway in fog in Kathmandu February 2014 : Bodies of all 18 people recovered after small plane crashes in western Nepal

: Bodies of all 18 people recovered after small plane crashes in western Nepal September 2012: Plane heading for Everest region crashes on the outskirts of Kathmandu, killing all 19 on board

Plane heading for Everest region crashes on the outskirts of Kathmandu, killing all 19 on board May 2012 : Fifteen people die when a plane carrying Indian pilgrims crashes in northern Nepal

: Fifteen people die when a plane carrying Indian pilgrims crashes in northern Nepal September 2010: Sightseeing flight crashes into a hillside near Kathmandu

Sightseeing flight crashes into a hillside near Kathmandu September 2006: All 24 people on board a WWF helicopter die when it crashes in eastern Nepal

What is US-Bangla airlines?

The carrier launched in July 2014 and its slogan is "Fly Fast, Fly Safe".

Its first international flight was in May 2016 - to Kathmandu.

It now flies to airports in South and South East Asia and the Middle East.</s>Montreal-based Bombardier Inc. is awaiting the causes of two deadly aircraft crashes over the past couple of days involving its Q400 turbo and Challenger business jet.

At least 50 people were killed Monday when a US Bangla Airlines passenger plane carrying 71 people from Bangladesh crashed and burst into flames as it landed Monday in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, officials and witnesses said.

The incident came a day after all 11 people on board a private Turkish Challenger 604 business jet crashed and burst into flames on an Iranian mountainside while bringing a wealthy businessman's daughter and her friends home from a Dubai bachelorette party.

Bombardier spokesmen for the commercial and business aircraft divisions said the company was saddened by the accidents, adding their thoughts were with those impacted and their families.

"It (Q400) has been designed to be robust and reliable in consideration to high cycle demands of regional airlines," she said in an interview.

Masluch said more than 1,000 Challenger 600 series planes have been delivered and are "one of the most robust and reliable aircraft in business aviation."

"Certainly each accident is isolated to its own circumstances so it would be inappropriate to comment on any links between or just assume or speculate while both investigations are ongoing," Masluch said in a separate interview.

The causes of both crashes aren't immediately available. Bombardier is waiting for invitations from Nepalese and Iranian officials before sending investigation teams to the crash sites.

The Q400 has sustained several landing gear incidents over the years but this is just the second crash of the aircraft resulting in death.

All 49 people on board were killed on Feb. 12, 2009 when a Colgan Air flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, stalled and crashed into a house while preparing to land at the airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that pilot error, including the response by the captain, was the main cause of the accident.

An AP journalist who arrived at the scene soon after the crash saw the twin-propeller plane broken into several large pieces, with dozens of firefighters and rescue workers clustered around the wreckage in a grassy field near the runway. Hundreds of people stood on a nearby hill, staring down at what remained of the propeller plane.

The plane swerved repeatedly as it prepared to land in Kathmandu, said Amanda Summers, an American working in Nepal. The crowded city sits in a valley in the Himalayan foothills.

"It was flying so low I thought it was going to run into the mountains," said Summers, who watched the crash from the terrace of her home office, not far from the airport. "All of a sudden there was a blast and then another blast."

Fire crews put out the flames quickly, perhaps within a minute, she said, though for a time clouds of thick, dark smoke rose into the sky above the city.</s>Over 50 people were feared dead after a Bangladesh aircraft carrying 67 passengers and four crew crashed on Monday while coming in to land at the airport in Kathmandu. At least 17 people on board had been rescued, as per latest reports.

According to airport spokesman Birendra Prasad Shrestha, the state of the other people on the flight from Dhaka, operated by US-Bangla Airlines, was not clear. “We are trying to bring the fire under control. Details are awaited,” he said, adding that the airport had been shut down and all other flights diverted. “We’re now concentrating on evacuating the passengers,” he added.

Kathmandu’s airport has been the site of several deadly crashes. In September 2012, a Sita Air turboprop plane carrying trekkers to Mount Everest hit a bird and crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 19 on board.

In 1992, a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok crashed while trying to land in Kathmandu in 1992 killing all on board.

Here is a list of aircraft incidents from across the world that happened in recent times:

A Turkish private jet flying from the United Arab Emirates to Istanbul carrying a group of young women crashed in a mountainous region of Iran during a heavy rain, killing all 11 people on board, authorities said. Days earlier, the doomed aircraft had carried a bachelorette party bound for Dubai. Iranian state television quoted Mojtaba Khaledi, the spokesman of the country’s emergency management organization, as saying the plane hit a mountain near Shahr-e Kord and burst into flames. Shahr-e Kord is some 370 kilometers (230 miles) south of the capital, Tehran.

A Russian military cargo plane crashed in Syria, killing all 39 servicemen on board, AP reported. The plane had crashed at Russia’s Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province. The Russian military confirmed that the crash was a result of a technical error, and was not shot down.

Two pilots of Indian Air Force were killed after a microlight helicopter in which they were travelling crashed in Assam’s Majuli island. The incident took place at Sumoimari Chapori, a police officer told IANS, adding that Defence and IAF personnel were on their way to Majuli. The micro-light aircraft crashed soon after it took off from the Jorhat air base on a routine sortie around noon. The wreckage of the plane has been sighted and a court of inquiry ordered, officials said.

A Russian passenger plane carrying 71 people crashed near Moscow, shortly after takeoff from one of the city’s airports. No survivors were reported. The An-148 regional jet disappeared from radar screens a few minutes after departing from Domodedovo Airport en route to the city of Orsk, some 1,500 kilometers (1,000 miles) southeast of Moscow. The plane reportedly belonged to Saratov Airlines, a Russian commercial carrier.

A Turkish military combat helicopter crashed on Saturday in northwestern Syria’s Afrin during the ongoing operation, and two soldiers were killed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. It is not clear at this point whether the incident occurred due to an external intervention or not. An investigation has been launched, he told journalists in southwestern Mugla province, local TV channel CNN Turk reported.

A Pawan Hans helicopter carrying five senior officials of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and two pilots crashed near Uttan off the coast of Mumbai. The bodies of ONGC deputy general managers Pankaj Garg and V K Bindu Lal Babu were recovered near the debris of the chopper and identified by afternoon.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>At least 50 people were killed after a US-Bangla Airlines flight crashedwhile landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on Monday.

The plane, which had 71 people on board, skidded off the runway and careened into a football field as it was trying to land. Authorities said the fire in the plane is under control and rescue operations are underway.

Here are some of the world’s deadliest plane crashes in the last decade:

February 18, 2018: All 65 passengers and crew were feared dead in a plane crash in central Iran, after the domestic flight came down in bad weather in a mountainous region.

February 11, 2018: A Russian passenger plane carrying 71 people crashed outside Moscow after taking off from the capital’s Domodedovo airport, killing everyone on board. News agencies said witnesses in the village of Argunovo saw a burning plane falling from the sky.

December 25, 2016: A Russian military plane carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria, killing everyone on board.

May 19, 2016: An EgyptAir jet carrying 66 passengers and crew from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean Sea after swerving in mid-air and plunging from cruising height. French President Francois Hollande confirmed the aircraft “came down and is lost”.

October 31, 2015: Russian airline Kogalymavia’s Airbus crashes over central Sinai. All 224 on board killed.Russia said on 17 November that a “terror act” was responsible for the crash and that “traces of foreign explosives” were found on debris of the Airbus, reported the BBC.

June 30, 2015: Indonesian Hercules C-130 military transport plane crashes in Medan two minutes after take-off. All 122 people on board, including service men and their families, and at least 19 people on the ground died.

March 24, 2015: Pilot deliberately crashes Germanwings Airbus in French Alps. Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot, was ‘depressed’ during pilot training, said sources, and was on anti-depressants. All 148 people on board died.

December 28, 2014: AirAsia flight goes missing over the Java Sea in bad weather. There were 162 passengers and crew on board. It was later reported that the flight crashed into the Java Sea and debris from the crash as well as human remains were recovered from the sea.

July 24, 2014: Air Algerie flight AH 5017 goes missing over Mali with 116 on board, feared to have crashed in violent storm. The plane took off from Burkina Faso and was headed to Algiers, when it crashed.

July 14, 2014: A Malaysia Airlines flight crashed in the region of Donetsk, the focal point of fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew members died.

March 8, 2014: Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight with 239 on board — including five Indians — went missing over the South China Sea. On March 24, Malaysia declared missing MH370 ‘lost’.

June 3, 2012: Dana Air MD-83 jet crashes into residential area of Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, killing all 153 people aboard.

April 20, 2012: Bhoja Air Boeing 737 crashes in wheat fields near Islamabad, Pakistan while trying to land during thunder storm, killing 127 people.

Jan 9, 2011: Iran Air Boeing 727 breaks to pieces on impact in northwestern Iran. 77 dead.

July 28, 2010: July 28, 2010: Airbus 321 flying from Karachi crashes into hills outside Islamabad, all 152 on board dead

May 22, 2010: Air India Express Boeing 737 crashes in Mangalore airport killing 158. The aircraft, which was coming from Dubai, overshot the runway on landing, fell over a cliff, and caught fire. Out of 160 passengers and six crew members, only eight survived, making this the third-deadliest crash India has seen.

May 12, 2010: Afriqiyah Airways plane en route to Tripoli, Libya, from Johannesburg, South Africa, crashes into the desert less than a mile from the runway, killing 103 people.

April 10, 2010: The plane of Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashes outside the western Russian city of Smolensk, killing all 96 aboard.

July 15, 2009: 168 killed in Iran plane crash, after a Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 flight from Tehran to Armenia crashed in a village off north-western Iran.

June 30, 2009: Yemenia Airbus 310 en route to the Comoros Islands crashes into the Indian Ocean with 153 people on board, after encountering bad weather.

June 1, 2009: Air France Airbus A330 runs into thunderstorms and crashes into Atlantic Ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, killing 228 people on board.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

A Bangladeshi airliner crashed on Monday after making an unexpected turn in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the airport in Nepal's capital, killing at least 50 people, officials said.

KATHMANDU: At least 49 people were killed on Monday when a Bangladeshi airliner crashed in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the Nepalese capital's hill-ringed airport, officials said.

The chief executive officer of US-Bangla Airlines, Imran Asif, accused Kathmandu's air traffic control for giving wrong signals.

But airport general manager Raj Kumar Chettri said the pilot disregarded their messages and came in from the wrong direction.

Seventyone people were on board the plane arriving from Dhaka when it clipped the fence at Kathmandu and burst into flames, Chettri said.

There were 33 Nepali passengers, 32 from Bangladesh, one from China and one from the Maldives. (Graphics on 'Deadly plane crash in Nepal' - http://tmsnrt.rs/2FBaGPb)

"All of a sudden the plane shook violently and there was a loud bang," one of the survivors, Basanta Bohora, told the Kathmandu Post daily. "I was seated near a window and was able to break out of the window."

The accident was the latest to hit mountainous Nepal, which has a poor record of air safety. Small aircraft ply an extensive domestic network and often run into trouble at remote airstrips.

"So far 49 people are dead and 22 are undergoing treatment at different hospitals," Sanjiv Gautam, executive director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), told reporters.

Several people were rescued from the burning wreckage of the Bombardier Q400 series aircraft and are undergoing treatment at hospitals, army spokesman Gokul Bhandari said.

Chettri said that moments after the plane received permission to land, the pilot said he wanted to go in a northern direction. Asked by the control tower if there was a problem, he replied in the negative.

The plane was then seen making two rounds in a northeast direction, Chettri said. Traffic controllers again asked the pilot if things were OK, and he replied, "Yes".

The tower then told the pilot his alignment was not correct, but there was no reply, Chettri added.

"The plane should have come from the right direction," Chettri said, adding that it hit the airport fence, touched the ground and then caught fire.

It was not immediately clear if the pilot had issued a "Mayday" call, or distress signal.

US-Bangla Airlines' Asif, however, said that wrong signals might have led to the crash.

"A three-minute conversation between the pilot and the air traffic control before the landing indicated that they sent wrong signal to the pilot," he told reporters in Dhaka.

Many of the bodies that lay on the tarmac, covered with cloth, were charred, witnesses said. Thick plumes of smoke could be seen from the aircraft at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Those on board include 12 Nepali tour agents who were returning after an annual sales conference in Bangladesh, an official said.

The aircraft that went down on Monday was 17 years old, data from tracking website Flightradar24.com showed. It descended to an airport altitude of 4,400 feet (1,341 m) and then climbed to 6,600 feet (2,012 m) before crashing about two minutes later, the website said.

Bombardier said on Twitter it was saddened by the accident.

"Our thoughts are with those injured, and their families," it said.

There have been a series of accidents at Kathmandu in the past.

In March 2014, a flock of birds shattered the windshield of a Malaysia Airlines jet as it landed in Kathmandu. The same month, a rear wheel of an Airbus A320 operated by an Indian budget airline caught fire after landing.

In 2012, a plane carrying trekkers to Mount Everest region hit a bird and crashed in Kathmandu, killing all on board.

In 1992, all 113 people aboard were killed when a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok crashed while trying to land in Kathmandu.

US-Bangla Airlines is a unit of the US-Bangla Group, a U.S. Bangladeshi joint venture company.

The two pilots and two cabin crew were Bangladeshi nationals, airline spokesman Kamrul Islam said in Dhaka.

"Our team will fly to Nepal as soon as the airport is open," he added. "We are in touch with Nepali authorities."

The Bangladeshi carrier, which launched operations in July 2014 with a slogan - "Fly Fast-Fly Safe", operates Bombardier and Boeing aircraft.</s>Photos: At least 50 dead as US-Bangla Airlines plane crashes at Kathmandu airport

A US-Bangla Airlines aircraft with 67 passengers and four crew members on board today overshot the runway and crashed at Nepal's Kathmandu international airport, killing at least 50 people, officials said.</s>KATHMANDU (Reuters) - A Bangladeshi airliner with 71 people on board crashed on Monday while coming in to land at the airport in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, killing at least 50 people, officials said.

The plane, operated by US-Bangla Airlines, was on a flight from Dhaka when it hit an airport fence and burst into flames, said Raj Kumar Chettri, general manager of the hill-ringed airport, which is prone to bird strikes and other hazards.

“We have recovered 50 dead bodies so far,” said army spokesman Gokul Bhandari. Several people had been rescued from the burning wreckage of the Bombardier Q400 series aircraft but nine people were still unaccounted for, he said.

The aircraft burst into flames and came to rest in a field near the tarmac of Tribhuvan International Airport.

Many of the bodies that lay on the tarmac covered by cloth were charred, witnesses said. Thick plumes of smoke could be seen from the aircraft.

Later, photographs showed the fire had been put out, with army personnel and rescue workers at the scene.

Data from tracking website Flightradar24.com showed the aircraft was 17 years old. The aircraft descended to an airport altitude of 4,400 feet and then ascended up to 6,600 feet before crashing about two minutes later, the website said.

Mountainous Nepal has had a poor air safety record. Small aircraft ply an extensive domestic network and often run into trouble at remote airstrips.

A Thai Airways flight from Bangkok crashed while trying to land in Kathmandu in 1992 killing all on board.

US-Bangla Airlines is a unit of the US-Bangla Group, a U.S. Bangladeshi joint venture company. A spokesman for the airline in Dhaka had no immediate comment.

The Bangladeshi carrier launched operations in July 2014 and operates Bombardier and Boeing aircraft.</s>At least 50 people were killed when a Bangladeshi airliner with 71 people on board crashed while landing at the airport in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on Monday.

An airport official confirmed the crash of the US-Bangla Airlines flight at Tribhuvan International Airport. An army spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying that at least 50 people were killed.

However, Nepal Police spokesperson Manoj Neupane confirmed a total of 40 deaths. He said 31 bodies were recovered at the crash site and nine others died in hospital.

Airport authorities said the fire in the plane had been controlled and rescue efforts were underway. At least 25 people were brought out of the plane and sent to nearby hospitals, officials said.

The twin-engine turboprop airliner was carrying 67 passengers and four crew members from the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, to Kathmandu, said airport spokesman Prem Nath Thakur.

The passengers included 37 men, 27 women and two children. Thirty-three of the passengers were Nepalese nationals.

There was no official confirmation whether any Indian nationals were on board.

The spokesperson of the Indian embassy in Kathmandu said: “We are in touch with airport authorities and the Bangladesh embassy in Kathmandu regarding whether Indian nationals were travelling in the plane. As of now, we have received no confirmation.”

A huge plume of smoke was seen over the airport after the Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft crashed at 2.20 pm local time and caught fire. Airport officials said the plane went off the runway and careened into a football ground near the airport. Emergency responders and ambulances rushed to the football field.

“The plane shoot off the runway while it was about to crash into the hangar and immediately caught fire,” an airport official was quoted as saying by Himalayan Times.

The plane “became unstable” while descending, another airport official said.

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal director general Sanjiv Gautam said: “The aircraft was permitted to land from the southern side of the runway flying over Koteshwor but it landed from the northern side.”

Noting that the aircraft may have been affected by technical glitches, he added, “We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the unusual landing.”

Amanda Summers, an American who works in Nepal, watched the crash from the terrace of her home office, not far from the airport.

“It was flying so low I thought it was going to run into the mountains,” she said. “All of a sudden there was a blast and then another blast,” she added.

All flights in and out of the Tribhuvan International Airport were cancelled.

US-Bangla Airlines is owned by US-Bangla Group, a joint venture company with offices in Dhaka, New York, India and other Asian hubs. It has been operating since 2014 out of its home airport in Bangladesh.</s>KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A plane carrying 71 people from Bangladesh swerved erratically and flew dangerously low before crashing and erupting in flames as it landed Monday in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, killing at least 50 people, officials and witnesses said.

The exact number of dead and injured remained unclear amid the chaos of the crash and the rush of badly injured people to nearby hospitals, but Brig. Gen. Gokul Bhandari, the Nepal army spokesman, said it was clear that at least 50 people had died. Officials at Kathmandu Medical College, the closest hospital to the airport, said they were treating 16 survivors.

US-Bangla Airlines flight BS211 from Dhaka to Kathmandu was carrying 67 passengers and four crew members, according to an airline spokesman.

An AP journalist who arrived at the scene soon after the crash saw the twin-propeller plane broken into several large pieces, with dozens of firefighters and rescue workers clustered around the wreckage in a grassy field near the runway. Hundreds of people stood on a nearby hill, staring down at what remained of the Bombardier Dash 8.

The plane swerved repeatedly as it prepared to land in Kathmandu, said Amanda Summers, an American working in Nepal. The crowded city sits in a valley in the Himalayan foothills.

“It was flying so low I thought it was going to run into the mountains,” said Summers, who watched the crash from the terrace of her home office, not far from the airport. “All of a sudden there was a blast and then another blast.”

Fire crews put out the flames quickly, perhaps within a minute, she said, though for a time clouds of thick, dark smoke rose into the sky above the city.

The plane had circled Tribhuvan International Airport twice as it waited for clearance to land, Mohammed Selim, the airline’s manager in Kathmandu, told Dhaka-based Somoy TV station by telephone.

Nitin Keyal was about to board a domestic flight when he saw the plane coming in.

“It was flying very low,” said Keyal, a medical student. “Everyone just froze looking at it. You could tell it wasn’t a normal landing.”

He said it landed just off the runway, broke apart and burst into flames. “For a few minutes no one could believe what was happening. It was just terrible,” he said.

Most of the injured were brought to Kathmandu Medical College, where relatives wept as they awaited news.

Haran Saran was at the hospital hoping for news about his nephew, a medical student.

“He’s not on the list of injured people,” said Saran, who did not want to give his nephew’s name. “We still have hope that there has been some mistake on the list, or he is in some other hospital.”

US-Bangla spokesman Kamrul Islam said the plane was carrying 32 passengers from Bangladesh, 33 from Nepal and one each from China and the Maldives. He did not provide the nationalities of the four crewmembers.

The airline, part of US-Bangla Group, is based in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, and flies to several domestic and international destinations. The parent company is involved in a number of industries, including real estate, education and agriculture.

Kathmandu’s airport has been the site of several deadly crashes. In September 2012, a Sita Air turboprop plane carrying trekkers to Mount Everest hit a bird and crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 19 on board.
An aircraft operated by Bangladeshi airline US-Bangla Airlines crashes at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal, killing 49 of the 71 people on board.