Plane crashes at Istanbul airport after landing
Part of the plane caught fire as a result of the accident
ISTANBUL, Feb 5 (Reuters) - A plane flying into Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport from Izmir skidded off the runway after landing and crashed on Wednesday, injuring 21 people, Turkish officials said.
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The plane split into three pieces after what Transport Minister Cahit Turhan called a rough landing, adding that there were no fatalities. He said flights waiting to land in Sabiha Gokcen were diverted to Istanbul Airport.
A Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 plane after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport (Photo by Muhammed Demir/AFP via Getty Images)
A spokeswoman for Pegasus Airlines confirmed the crash but did not provide further details.
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Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said the plane was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members from Turkey's western province of Izmir.
Emergency response teams had taken 21 people to hospital and evacuation efforts were continuing, Yerlikaya said.
ISTANBUL, TURKEY: Officials work around the site after a passenger plane skidded off the runway in Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, breaking into two. (Photo by Adem Koc/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Footage on Turkish media showed the plane's fuselage, as well as a section of it near the tail, had broken off. Passengers were being led out as the plane lay on a patch of grass next to the runway. Dozens of emergency response personnel were taking passengers out of the plane and carrying them away on stretchers.
Earlier footage showed part of the exterior of the plane had caught on fire, which Anadolu said was put out by firefighters.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | THE BOEING CO. | 143.87 | +3.68 | +2.63% |
Turkish Airlines said it canceled all its flight in and out of Sabiha Gokcen on Wednesday.
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(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul, Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara; Editing by Dominic Evans and Jonathan Spicer)