Dozens dead after passenger plane crashes in Nepal

March 12 (UPI) -- Dozens of passengers died Monday after a Bangladeshi passenger plane crash landed at Kathmandu International Airport in Nepal, authorities said.

The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 plane, which was carrying 71 passengers when it crashed, veered off the runway upon landing and crashed in a soccer field near the airport.

The plane departed from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Officials said preliminary estimates indicate 49 people died and 22 others were injured in the crash.

Rajkumar Chhetri, general manager at Tribhuvan International Airport, said there may have been more deaths had a fire in the wreckage not been extinguished in a timely manner.

Nepalese aviation officer Caan Sanjiv Gautam said the plane looked "out of control" when it attempted to land.

"The aircraft was permitted to land from the southern side of the runway over Koteshwor but it landed from the northern side," Gautam said. "We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the unusual landing."

Nepalese army soldiers were dispatched to the scene and all flights in and out of the airport were canceled.