Istanbul plane crash: 1 dead, over 150 injured after plane skids off runway, breaks into pieces

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

One person died and more than 150 people were injured Wednesday when a Pegasus Airlines plane landing at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport skidded off the runway and crashed into a field, according to multiple reports.

Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said the plane landed in bad weather, failed to “hold onto the runway” and skidded some 50-60 meters before crashing into a ditch from a height of some 30 meters. Photos from the scene showed the plane had broken into pieces.

Update 3:35 p.m. EST Feb. 5: One person died Wednesday at a hospital after being injured in the Pegasus Airlines flight crash at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, according to Reuters.

According to Koca, 157 other people were injured in the crash, including three people who required surgery and two who were placed in intensive care, The Associated Press reported. Koca said the passengers' injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

The low-cost Pegasus Airlines plane with 177 passengers and crew on board was arriving at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport from the western Turkish city of Izmir when it had what the Transportation Ministry described as a “rough landing.”

Update 1:25 p.m. EST Feb. 5: Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya told Turkey's NTV television station that 120 people were taken to area hospitals after Wednesday's plane crash at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

He said a majority of the injuries appeared to be mild, NTV reported.

Earlier Wednesday, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported the Pegasus Airlines plane was carrying 177 people on board when it crashed.

Video obtained by The Associated Press showed the wreckage of the plane in a field adjacent to the end of the runway. The video shows heavy rain and strong winds at the time, with smoke coming from one of the engines as passengers climb out of the fuselage onto the wings of the plane and away from the crash site.

Dozens of rescue crew members swarmed around the flood-lit fuselage, including around the cockpit, which had flipped over. The plane was a Boeing 737 that was 11 years old, according to the flight tracking website Flightradar24.

Original report: Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said the passenger plane was arriving from Izmir when it left the runway shortly after landing. More than 50 people were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries after the crash, Yerlikaya said.

Television footage showed serious damage to the plane, with the fuselage appearing to be broken into three pieces. Turkey’s NTV television reported that the plane caught fire after skidding but said it had been extinguished.

The country's state-run Anadolu Agency reported the Pegasus Airlines plane was carrying 177 passengers when it crashed.

Turkish Transportation Minister Cahit Turhan said no fatalities were immediately reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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