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A Bangladeshi aircraft with 67 passengers on board has crashed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, as it veered off the runway while  landing at the airport on Monday, officials said. 

Firefighters were seen battling to put out the burning wreckage and rescue passengers.

"There were 67 passengers and 4 crew members" aboard the plane, said airport spokesman Prem Nath Thakur.

"So far 20 injured have been taken to the hospital. Police and army are trying to cut apart the plane to rescue others," he added.

Another airport spokesperson Birendra Prasad Shrestha said the condition of the other people on board was not clear. "We are trying to bring the fire under control. Details are awaited," he said. 

Emergency vehicles appeared to be heading into the smoke as people watched from a distance or filmed on their mobile phones.

Photos and Live footage posted on social media showed smoke rising from an airport runway, where another plane was waiting on the tarmac, as all flights in and out of the airport have been cancelled.

Local media identified the plane as S2-AGU, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, landed at TIA airport at 14:20 local time (08:35 GMT), according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Nepal's tourist industry has been dealt a blow as the country has suffered a number of air disasters in recent years. the country's poor air safety record has been blamed on inadequate maintenance, inexperienced pilots and substandard management.

A Twin Otter turboprop aircraft crashed into a mountainside in early 2016, killing all 23 people on board and two days later, two pilots were killed when a small passenger plane crash-landed in the country's hilly midwest.