Kyrgyzstan plane crash kills 37
Turkish 747 flying from Hong Kong destroys a village
BISHKEK // At least 37 people were killed yesterday when a Turkish cargo plane crashed in a residential area just outside the main airport in Kyrgyzstan.
The crash, blamed on pilot error, destroyed half a village and killed people 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, from Hong Kong.
A large section of the aircraft’s tail billowed smoke as rescuers searched for victims among the wreckage in Dacha-Suu village.
The plane’s nose was stuck inside a brick house. 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 last night. Another 15 people, including six children, were taken to hospital, the health ministry said.
“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 minister Kubatbek Boronov said 23 of the 43 houses in the village had been destroyed. Dozen of homes were near the runway fence.
The plane belonged to Istanbul 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 US opened a military installation there, using it mainly for its operations in Afghanistan. The US handed the base over to the Kyrgyz military in 2014.
ACT Airlines said yesterday 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 that the plane had not encountered any mishaps during its journey or as it proceeded to land at Bishkek.
Turkish president Recep Tayy- ip Erdogan called Kyrgyz leader Almazbek Atambayev yesterday to express his condolences and convey his sadness at the loss of lives in the disaster.
Turkey’s transport ministry sent two experts from its accident investigation board to Bishkek to assist Kyrgyz authorities.