Istanbul plane crash: Passenger plane breaks apart after skidding off runway

The Pegasus Airlines flight was carrying 177 passengers and six crew members when the incident took place in Turkey's busiest airport.

A passenger plane skidded off the runway and crashed at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Turkey while it attempted to land on Wednesday. The Pegasus Airlines flight was carrying 177 passengers and six crew members, according to Reuters.

Turkey's Transportation Ministry said there were no deaths. The extent of injuries on the other passengers remained unknown.

"There has been no loss of life, the injured passengers are being evacuated off the plane to hospitals," Turkish Transportation Minister Cahit Turhan said.

Istanbul plane crash
Twitter grab

Gov. Ali Yerlikaya of Istanbul tweeted saying 52 people had been taken to hospitals. Yerlikaya added that Turkish emergency crews helped in the evacuation of the remaining passengers. Following the accident, all flights were suspended at Sabiha Gokcen.

The exact cause of the crash is still unknown.

This is the second time in recent years when a Pegasus flight skidded off the runway in Turkey. In January 2018, a commercial jet carrying 168 people overshot an icy airstrip at Ankara-Tabzon Airport. All passengers and crew on board were unharmed in the incident.

This is a developing story.

READ MORE