Turkish cargo plane crashes in Kyrgyzstan, at least 37 dead

The plane was attempting to land at Kyrgyzstan’s main airport in thick fog.

Rescue teams are seen at the crash site of a Turkish cargo jet near Kyrgyzstan's Manas airport outside Bishkek, on January 16, 2017. Vladimir Pirogov / Reuters

BISHKEK // At least 37 people were killed on Monday when a Turkish cargo plane crashed in a residential area just outside the main airport in Kyrgyzstan.

The impact destroyed half of a village and killed people both in the plane and on the ground, the emergency ministry said.

The Boeing 747 crashed at 7.40am local time while approaching Manas airport, south of the capital, Bishkek.

A massive section of the aircraft’s tail billowed smoke as rescuers searched for victims among the wreckage in the village of Dacha-Suu. Footage showed the plane’s nose stuck inside a brick house and large chunks of debris scattered around. A dozen body bags were laid out in the yard of one home.

The bodies of 15 victims, including five children, had been identified by Monday evening, the Kyrgyz government said.

Another 15 people, including six children, were taken to hospital, according to the health ministry.

“I woke up because of a bright red light outside,” said resident Baktygul Kurbatova, who was slightly injured. “I couldn’t understand what was happening. It turns out the ceiling and the walls were crashing on us. I was so scared but I managed to cover my son’s face with my hands so debris would not fall on him.”

Kyrgyz emergency situations Minister Kubatbek Boronov said 23 out of the 43 houses in the village had been destroyed. Several dozen homes were near the fence surrounding the runway.

The plane, which had departed from Hong Kong, belonged to the Istanbul-based cargo company ACT Airlines, which said the dead included the plane’s four Turkish crew members: two pilots, a freight expert and a flight technician.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Mr Boronov said it was foggy at Manas when the plane came down but weather conditions were not critical.

Deputy prime minister Muhammetkaly Abulgaziev blamed pilot error for the crash.

One of the plane’s two flight recorders was recovered at the scene, the Kyrgyz prime minister’s office said.

The Manas airport has been considerably expanded since the United States began to operate a military installation there, using it primarily for its military operations in Afghanistan. The US handed the base over to the Kyrgyz military in 2014.

ACT Airlines said on Monday that the crash was not the result of “technical reasons or factors linked to the freight” on the plane. It did not specify the plane’s cargo.

It said the plane’s records book had no record of any technical faults and said that the plane had not encountered any mishaps during its journey or as it proceeded to land at Bishkek.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev on Monday to express his condolences and convey his sadness at the loss of lives in the disaster.

Turkey’s transportation ministry also sent two experts from its accident investigation board to Bishkek to assist Kyrgyz authorities.

Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara.

* Associated Press and Agence France-Presse