A total of 37 people have been killed after a Turkish Airlines cargo plane crashed in Kyrgyzstan, hours after departing from Hong Kong.
Flight TK6491 departed from Hong Kong International Airport at 1:10am today, and was bound for Manas International Airport in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz media outlet Zanoza reports that the pilot tried to land the plane but crashed into the neighbouring village of Dacha-Suu at around 7:31am local time (9:31am HKT) due to poor weather conditions.
Initial reports gave the number of deaths as 16, including six children. Since then, Kyrgyzstan’s ministry for emergency services says that the number of fatalities has risen to 37, including four pilots.
Dozens of houses in the village were destroyed, the ministry said. Manas Airport has been closed and all flights have been cancelled until further notice.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated.
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