A plane skidded off the runway and broke apart while landing at an airport in Istanbul, Turkey, leaving dozens of people injured, according to local officials.
Officials stressed that no one on board the plane died. There were 177 people on board the Pegasus Airlines flight when the mishap occurred, state media reported.
“There has been no loss of life, the injured passengers are being evacuated off the plane to hospitals,” Turkish transport minister Cahit Turan told CNN.
Turhan said 52 people were injured, according to the state-backed Anadolu Agency. Footage and photos captured from the scene of the crash showed that the plane had broken into several pieces and had caught on fire. Initial reports said that 21 people were injured.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals.
“Our teams are currently evacuating the passengers,” Turhan said, adding that preliminary information suggested the plane skidded off the runway and made a “hard landing.”
Ambulances and rescue teams were at the scene to rescue the passengers, according to footage captured at the scene. Anadolu also reported that the airport has been shut down.
According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the Pegasus Airlines plane is a Boeing 737.
The accident comes a month after another Pegasus plane skidded off the runway in Istanbul at the same airport. There were no deaths or injuries in that incident on Jan. 7. In 2013, the tail of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 broke off after the jet hit a seawall during approach to San Francisco International Airport. Three people died, 49 were seriously injured and scores more suffered minor injuries, according to the U.S. accident report.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Author: Jack Phillips
