At least 37 people have died after a Turkish cargo plane crashed into a village in Kyrgyzstan.
The ACT Airlines flight crashed into the village of Dacha-Suu, just west of Manas International Airport, near the capital Bishkek, while trying to make a scheduled landing in dense fog at 7.31am (1.31am GMT). It was en route from Hong Kong to Istanbul.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A witness told AFP: "The plane crashed into the houses, it killed entire families. There's nothing left of the houses, people were killed with their whole family, their children. Many people were sleeping."
More than 1,000 rescue workers were working on the scene by late morning, says the Daily Telegraph.
"The number of victims is increasing quickly," a spokeswoman for Kyrgyzstan's emergency ministry told CNN. "The fire service, rescue services, ministry of internal affairs and the Prime Minister and emergencies minister are there."
Emergency ministry chief Mukhammed Svarov said the crash had damaged 15 buildings and spread wreckage for several hundred yards.
Kyrgyzstan deputy prime minister Mukhammetkaly Abulgaziyev blamed pilot error for the crash, reports news agency Kloop.
ACT, which is also known as MyCargo, said: "Our TC-MCL signed plane, flying on January 16 from Hong Kong to Bishkek, crashed on landing at Bishkek at the end of the runway for an unknown reason.
"More information will be disclosed concerning our four-person team when we get clear information."
-
Is Andrew’s arrest the end for the monarchy?Today's Big Question The King has distanced the Royal Family from his disgraced brother but a ‘fit of revolutionary disgust’ could still wipe them out
-
Quiz of The Week: 14 – 20 FebruaryQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Do the Freemasons have too much sway in the police force?Podcast Plus, what does the growing popularity of prediction markets mean for the future? And why are UK film and TV workers struggling?
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
