Plane breaks into three parts after slider on runway in Istanbul
In the Turkish city of Istanbul, a passenger plane landed next to the runway during the landing and was broken into three parts. According to Turkish Transport Minister Cahit Turhan, there are no deaths. Several people were injured.
The accident happened at the Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul with a plane from the Turkish low-cost airline Pegasus. Onboard were 177 passengers and six crew members who had previously taken off from the western province of Izmir. A number of people were injured, but there were no deaths, the minister said.
Pegasus airline confirms the crash but does not wish to respond further. According to Minister Turhan, the aircraft broke into three parts after a rough landing. Earlier it became known that the plane had been pushed off the runway. It would be a Boeing 737.
The front part of the device is wholly detached from the rest of the hull. A fracture can also be seen next to the tail. Images from Turkish media show that passengers are being evacuated from the aircraft.
The cause of the crash is not yet known. According to the Turkish state channel TRT the weather was terrible during the landing. Sabiha Gokcen International Airport – east of Istanbul – suspended all flights after the accident and redirected to Istanbul Airport, a more massive airport west of the city.
