Turkish Airlines cargo jet crash kills at least 32 in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK: A cargo plane crashed near Kyrgyzstan’s main airport Monday, leaving 32 people dead including four pilots as it hit a populated area after attempting to land in thick fog, authorities said.

The majority of the dead were from the village of Dacha-Suu where the plane -- a Turkish Airlines flight from Hong Kong to Istanbul via Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek -- crashed at around 7.30 am local time (0130 GMT), a spokesman for the country’s emergency services ministry told AFP.

Four pilots also died, the health ministry said.

Around 15 houses have been damaged by the crash, according to the emergency services ministry, which said that the crash caused fires that have now been localised.

The country’s Manas airport has been closed and flights cancelled until evening at the earliest, airport authorities said. - AFP