Nepal's worst air tragedy in decades

A Bangladeshi airliner crashed at Kathmandu's international airport on Monday (March 12, 2018), killing 49 people. (Photo and caption: Reuters)

There were 71 people on board the US-Bangla Airlines plane arriving from Dhaka when it clipped the fence at Kathmandu and burst into flames. (Reuters Photo)

Those aboard included 33 Nepali passengers, with 32 from Bangladesh, one from China and one from the Maldives (IANS Photo)

According to airport officials, 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. (IANS Photo)

The plane was then seen making two rounds in a northeast direction. 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. (IANS Photo)

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

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. (Reuters Photo)