Kyrgyzstan authorities on Tuesday blamed "pilot error" after a Turkish cargo plane crashed into a village near the country's main airport and killed at least 37 people, which also included local residents who were in their homes at the time of the incident.
At least 37 dead, 18 homes damaged after Turkish cargo jet crashes into Kyrgyzstan homes
Reports state that the cargo plane was attempting to land in dense fog when it crashed on Monday and damaged around 18 houses in Dacha-Suu. Smoke from a huge section of the plane's tail could be seen billowing, as rescue workers rushed to search for victims under the rubble.
"According to preliminary information, the plane crashed due to a pilot error," Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Muhammetkaly Abulgaziev said at a briefing broadcast on state television.
Spokesperson for the emergency services, Muhammed Svarov said that among the 37 people killed in the incident, there were four pilots of the plane too. He also added that the toll is likely to rise as some are gravely injured, the Associated Press reported.
According to the airport administration, the plane was supposed to make a stopover at Manas, near the capital city Bishkek, on its way from Hong Kong to Istanbul. It crashed when trying to land in poor visibility at 7:31 am local time (0131 GMT).
"Our grandson said something was burning. We heard a roar and (what felt) like an earthquake. Many people were sleeping, everything around was burning. One of the parts of the aircraft fell on our neighbour's house. She and her whole family died," Tajikan, a Dacha Suu resident told AFP.
A government statement said that one of the black boxes of the plane has been recovered from the crash site, although it did not specify low long would it take to find out the cause of the crash.
The cargo plane, operated by a Turkish cargo airline ACT Airlines in a statement said that its Boeing 747-400 was involved in the crash. It released a statement saying it was "deeply saddened" by the crash and noted that "the cause of the accident is unknown."
