49 dead in Nepal plane crash

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At least 49 people are confirmed dead after a passenger plane crash landed in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The plane, operated by Bangladeshi airline US-Bangla, was carrying at least 71 passengers when it veered off the runway while touching down on Monday afternoon (local time).

Nepali authorities say the plane, flying from Dhaka, Bangladesh, made an “unusual” landing, according to the BBC, before bursting into flames.

Twenty-two people have been hospitalised, police spokesperson Manoj Neupane told the BBC.

Eight people who were missing are now being included in the death toll.

The cause of the crash is being investigated, but US-Bangla Airlines chief executive Imran Asif says traffic control is to blame.

“There were wrong directions from the tower. Our pilot was not at fault,” he told media.