UPDATE 4 - Turkey: Plane skids off runway at airport in Istanbul

UPDATE 4 - Turkey: Plane skids off runway at airport in Istanbul

1dead among 177 passengers and 6 crew members on board, while nearly 160 injured

UPDATES WITH NUMBER OF INJURED; ADDS CASUALTY INFO; CHANGES DECK, LEDE

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

ANKARA (AA) - A passenger plane on Wednesday skidded off the runway at an Istanbul airport, killing one person and injuring nearly 160 others, officials said.

The Pegasus Airlines plane with a flight number PC2193 was arriving from Turkey's Aegean province of Izmir at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport when it skidded off the runway during landing, Turkey’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Cahit Turhan said.

One person died and 157 others were injured among 177 passengers -- including two children -- and six crew members, said Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

Television footage showed the plane separated from its fuselage, then it burst into flames following the crash.

"According to the information we obtained, the plane ... drifted to the land as a result of the hard landing," said Turhan.

After skidding off the runway, the plane drifts some 50 meters (160 feet), said Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya, adding: "Then, it falls from a height of around 30 meters [100 feet] here where there is a connection road from TEM highway to E-5 highway."

Prosecutors in capital Ankara launched an investigation into the incident. The airport has been temporarily closed to air traffic.

Turkish Airlines also announced they have temporarily halted all flights to and from the airport.

Kaynak:Source of News

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