Three people are dead and at least 179 injured after a plane skidded off a runway and broke into three pieces Wednesday at an airport near Istanbul, Turkey, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.
At least 139 needed to be hospitalized, including two pilots who were listed in serious condition, according to government sources who gave regular updates from the scene.
Reports said injured passengers were being treated at 18 hospitals.
The plane, reportedly a Boeing 737 arriving at Sabiha Gokcen Airport from the city of Izmir, was operated by the low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines.
The Associated Press reported that the fuselage of the plane broke apart into three pieces after leaving the runway and crashing into an adjacent field.
Journalists on the scene tweeted video of the wreckage:
Reports said part of the aircraft caught fire during the crash landing but that the blaze was quickly extinguished. Witnesses said passengers were seen escaping the wreckage through cracks in the plane.
Ali Yerlikaya, the governor of Istanbul, kept local media updated on the injured, while Turkish Transportation Minister Cahit Turhan also gave regular updates from the scene via Twitter.
Turhan was the first to report the plane crashed “as a result of a hard landing.”
Reports said the plane may have dropped nearly 100 feet down from the runway.
In the minutes before the crash, an air traffic controller was heard warning pilots about a “strong tailwind” on the approach to the airport, according to news accounts. There were also reports of bad weather conditions.
All flights out of the airport were suspended for the day, officials said, and other flights were diverted to other airports nearby.
Emergency crews were conducting evacuations at the scene. Reports said a firefighter was injured during the rescue operation.
An investigation was being launched by the Turkish public prosecutor, according to reports.
Another plane skidded off the runway at the same airport less than a month ago, according to reports.
In that incident, a Boeing 737-800 from the United Arab Emirates and also operated by Pegasus, skidded off the runway as it landed at Sabiha Gokcen Airport. All 164 passengers were safely evacuated.
— This is a developing story. Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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