A Turkish cargo jet has crashed near Kyrgyzstan's Manas airport, killing at least 20 people, the Kyrgyz government stated.
Rescue workers recovered the body of one pilot and 19 local people whose houses were in the Boeing 747 jet's crash area, the healthcare ministry said on Monday.
#TK6491 a MyCargo Airlines Boeing 747-400F TC-MCL, 1st delivered to Singapore Cargo in 2003. https://t.co/48HSEqywlh https://t.co/n1HpEnTxir pic.twitter.com/NLmEnYv1GE
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 16, 2017
"The number of people dead has risen to 20," Kyrgyzstan's ministry for emergency services told AFP after initially reporting 15 deaths. Medical staff stated that six children were among the victims.
As stated by Flightradar24 the plane belonged to MyCargo Airlines, a Turkish cargo airline based in Istanbul.
Local media reported that the plane, operated by Turkish Airlines under flight number TK6491, crashed while attempting to land in Bishkek.
AljazeeraPhotos of the #TK6491 crash site, via Kyrgyz national broadcaster @KTRK_kg. https://t.co/IofUfdunxC
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 16, 2017