Turkish cargo jet crash kills 37 in Kyrgyzstan

A cargo plane attempting to land in thick fog crashed Monday into a village near Kyrgyzstan's main airport and killed at least 37 people
Monday, 16 January 2017 15:52

A Turkish cargo jet crashed near Kyrgyzstan's Manas airport on Monday, killing at least 37 people, most of them residents of a village struck by the Boeing 747 as it tried to land in dense fog. 

A minimum of 37 people, including the plane's four pilots, were killed in the crash. Fifteen people including six children have been hospitalized.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. "According to preliminary information, the plane crashed due to a pilot error," deputy prime minister Muhammetkaly Abulgaziev said at a briefing broadcast on state television.

A massive section of the aircraft's tail billowed smoke as rescuers searched for victims among the wreckage in the village of Dacha-Suu, home to the majority of the dead.

Kyrgyz Emergency Situations Minister Kubatbek Boronov said that 23 out of 43 houses in the village have been destroyed. Several dozen private houses are near the fence separating the cottages from the runway.