Istanbul, Turkey: Pegasus Airlines plane skidded off the end of a wet runway and broke into pieces, killing three people. According to the Turkish health minister Fahrettin Koca, 179 people have been injured as the plane tried to land on the wet runway and poor weather conditions.
He stated currently three people are in an intensive care unit.
The Pegasus airline plane was carrying a total of 183 passengers with 175 adults, two young children, and six crew members, said Ali Yerlikaya, Istanbul Government. The airline made confirmation about one of its planes that skidded off the runway, flight number PC2193.
The plane skidded up to 60 meters (196 ft) after landing, said Yerlikaya, ahead of falling up to 40 meters down a ditch.
Recordings from the accident location demonstrated the plane off the runway and part of it near the tail had broken into pieces. The plane lay on the patch of grass while passengers were being led out of the plane. Passengers were taken out of the plane and carried away on stretchers with the help of the emergency personnel.
About 22 injured people were taken to the Kartal Lutfi Kirdar training and research hospital. Several others got injuries to their legs and heads, said chief surgeon Recep Demirhan.
He declared that 14 people are suffering “middle-range” wounds and eight are slightly injured. Demirhan said, “There are broken bones in different places in their bodies”.
He said two “kids are injured and three foreigners are injured” without mentioning their citizenship.
After landing, the plane caught fire, and rescue teams and ambulances were there to rescue passengers, Turk reported. The airport has been closed for air traffic temporarily.
The plane landed at 6:19 p.m. local time, as per flightradar.com. Weather radar demonstrated a line of thunderstorms moving and showers through the area at the time of landing. An investigation is launched by prosecutors in Ankara related to the incident.–Worldwide News