Private cargo plane crashes in Kyrgyzstan killing 37 people

A private cargo plane belonging to a Turkish company called ACT Airlines, crashed in a village in Kyrgyzstan, killing 37 people. The plane crashed into a village near Kyrgyzstan’s main airport on early Monday morning, as many people were still at home sleeping.

According to the details provided, there was thick fog at the time of the crash and the plane crashed into houses in a village which is located very close to the airport. Smoke could be seen coming out of a huge section of the plane’s tail.

The village where the plane crashed is Dacha-Suu and most of those who were killed belonged to the village. Due to the crash, cars, homes and plantation in Dacha-Suu were badly damaged.

According to a resident of the village, the crash occurred at 7:30 am local time, just as people were getting up from their night’s sleep. The resident, identified as Zumriyat Rezakhanova, said that the plane fell “right on the homes” where residents were sleeping.

“My sister’s home is badly damaged. Luckily she and her family survived,” Rezakhanova told AFP.

The details have revealed that at least four pilots have also been killed on the flight, which was travelling from Hong Kong to Istanbul via Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek. The bodies of three pilots have been recovered and search is still underway for the fourth body.

Initially it was falsely reported that the plane belonged to Turkish Airlines. However, it was later found out that the Boeing 747 belonged to a private Turkish company which deals in cargo.

ACT Airlines said it was “deeply saddened” by the accident and noted that “the cause of the accident is unknown.”

Around 47 houses were also damaged due to the crash. Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbai Jeenbekov, cancelled all his appointments and went to Dacha-Suu to assess the damage and provide support to affected families.

A day of mourning will be observed on Tuesday to mark the tragic incident.

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Posted by fatimaarshad on Jan 16 2017. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.