A cargo jet has left at least 20 people dead after crashing into homes near the Kyrgyz capital. According to the Kyrgyz government, the plane came down in a residential area near Kyrgyzstan’s Manas airport at 7.31 am local time (1.31am GMT), while trying to land in poor visibility.
About six children are among the dead while five people have been taken to hospital. The country’s transport ministry identified the aircraft as a Turkish Airlines plane, the company said it belonged to ACT Airlines, another Turkish firm.
The body of one pilot has been recovered while dozens of local residents were killed when the Boeing 747-400 crash impacted on their homes, the healthcare ministry has claimed. Rescue workers desperately search for survivors. The ministry said: “After the crash, two houses in the community caught fire.
On its official Twitter account, Turkish Airlines wrote: “Our condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic incident involving an ACT Airlines aircraft in Kyrgyzstan.”
The plane had been travelling from Hong Kong to Istanbul, stopping at the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek en route. According to reports members of the Kyrgyzstan government are at the scene, including Vice prime minister Mukhammetkaliy Abulgaziev.
