At least 37 people were killed when a Turkish cargo plane crashed near Kyrgyzstan’s Manas airport, south of capital Bishkek, while attempting to land in thick fog.
The majority of the dead are from the village of Dacha-Suu, near the airport, where the plane crashed at around 7.30 am local time, news agencies reported.
The BBC said several children are reported to have been among those killed.
Agency reports say that around 43 houses were damaged by the crash, according to the emergency services ministry, which said that the accident sparked fires.
The cargo plane, belonging to the Istanbul-based ACT Airlines, was en route to Istanbul from Hong Kong via Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek.
Four pilots of the plane also died in the incident.
The Kyrgyz government was considering pilot error as a possible cause, but it is still too early to draw a conclusion, First Deputy Prime Minister Mukhammetkaly Abulgaziyev said in comments carried by state news agency Kabar.
Visibility was poor because of thick fog at the time, but the cause of the crash has not yet been confirmed, said the BBC.
The airport has been closed and flights cancelled until evening, airport authorities said.
Image: Debris is seen at the crash site of a Turkish cargo jet near Kyrgyzstan's Manas airport outside Bishkek. Photograph: Reuters
