Turkish cargo plane crashes in Kyrgyzstan, 32 dead

BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN // A cargo plane attempting to land at Kyrgyzstan’s main airport in thick fog crashed in a populated area Monday, authorities at the airport said, leaving at least 32 people dead.

The majority of the dead are from the nearby village of Dacha-Suu where the Turkish cargo plane crashed while flying to Istanbul from Hong Kong via Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek - at around 7.30am local time, Muhammed Svarov, a spokesman for the country’s emergency services ministry told AFP.

ACT Airlines, a Turkish cargo airline, said in a statement that the plane involved in the crash belonged to it. Kyrgyz authorities earlier on Monday had stated that the aircraft belonged to Turkish Airlines, a claim the company denied.

The total number of dead "could be bigger" Mr Svarov said, adding that authorities had launched a huge search and rescue operation.

"Major work is underway," he said. "The damage to infrastructure in the village is significant."

At least four pilots on the flight were among the dead, the emergency services ministry said, with one pilot’s body yet to be found.

Around 43 houses were damaged by the crash, according to the emergency services ministry, which said that the accident sparked fires that spread, but have now been localised.

"The plane crashed into the houses, it killed entire families," one eyewitness told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.