Turkish authorities have suspended all flights in and out of Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport after a Pegasus Airlines plane carrying 158 passengers and crew crashed while landing, killing one person and injuring 157 others.
Dozens of rescue crews attended the scene, with passengers seen evacuating through cracks in the smashed Boeing 737-86J, which split into three pieces upon impact.
While there was one fatality, with the individual reportedly dying in hospital following the crash, Istanbul’s Governor Ali Yerlikyaka said it could have been much worse, particularly if the plane had caught fire.
Rescuers work to extract passengers from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing Source: AFP
“We are deeply saddened ... (But) we are very happy that we escaped a greater accident,” he said.
Of the 157 passengers hurt in the crash, only three have required surgery and two others are in intensive care, with Turkish Health authorities reporting none of the injuries are life-threatening.
The wet runway the plane was landing on is believed to have caused the crash, with Governor Yerlikaya confirming the 11-year-old plane skidded off the end of the tarmac and fell around 30 to 40 metres into a field.
A Turkish soldier stand guard as rescuers work to extract passengers from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane Source: AFP
“The plane could not hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skidded for around 50-60 metres," he said.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Mehmet Cahit Turan told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency initial information also suggests “the accident occurred after (the plane) could not decelerate."
An investigation into the crash is underway, with the incident coming under a month since another Pegasus airlines plane skidded off the runway at the same airport.
