70 killed in Kyrgyz plane crash
Monday, August 25, 2008 at 11:08 am Under World News Alerts 28 views
About 70 people died on Sunday (August 24), when a Kyrgyz airliner crashed outside Bishkek, capital of the tiny former Soviet Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan, among them members of a local teenage basketball team.
The Boeing 737-200, chartered by an Iranian company and bound for Tehran, crashed soon after take-off, a spokeswoman for Manas airport, 30 km (20 miles) from Bishkek, said. Emergencies Minister Kamchibek Tashiyev said 90 people were on board and 25 of them survived. But residential Adviser, Tokhon Mamitov told reporters that the number of survivors was less.
“We think approximately 15 or 17 people have been saved and we need to confirm but unfortunately it seems the rest of the passengers died,” Mamitov said.
Officials said they would release a full list of dead and survivors early on Monday (August 25).
A health ministry spokeswoman said 18 people were taken to Bishkek hospitals. She did not say whether there were any more survivors.
He did say whether the pilot was injured and in hospital or in a state of shock at the airport.
Officials said 83 passengers and seven crew were on board the Boeing 737-200 and 51 of the passengers were nationals of China, Turkey, Iran and Canada.
A government official told reporters that 17 teenagers, a basketball team from a local sports school, were on board. He said seven of them survived and were in hospital.
The crash site, close to the Manas airport runway, was sealed off by police but airport employees who had seen the wreckage said all the fuselage was destroyed by flames with only the tail still intact.
Transport Minister Nurlan Sulaimanov said the plane, built in 1979, was in good shape and had been inspected only two months ago.
Prime Minister Igor Chudinov said that according to initial reports, the plane suffered from a sudden loss of pressure, causing the pilot to request an emergency landing.
(Agencies)
( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)
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