Russian officials say 44 people have been killed and eight others injured when a passenger plane crashed late Monday in Russia's northern republic of Karelia.

The plane, a Tupolev 134, with more than 50 people on board was trying to land at Petrozavodsk airport about 650 kilometers northwest of Moscow, when it crashed on a nearby highway and caught fire.

The survivors were taken to Petrozavodsk hospitals.

Russian news reports quoted officials as saying that bad weather could have been a factor in the accident, but that human error has not been not ruled out.

RIA novosti quotes Karelia's health minister Valentina Ulich as saying that a Swedish citizen is among those killed. The agency also reported that rescuers working at the crash site have found both flight recorders from the aircraft.

The plane was in route from Moscow's Domodedovo airport to Petrozavodsk when it crashed.