A passenger has now been confirmed dead among the 157 that were injured at Istanbul airport when a Boeing 737 domestic flight from Izmir skidded 200ft off the runway on landing and burst into flames.
There were the 177 people onboard, including a six-man crew.
Footage online showed those on board being evacuated through cracks in the burning plane as the Pegasus Airlines jet went up in flames.
The plane arrived at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport from the western Turkish city of Izmir
Governor Yerlikaya said at least 52 people were hurt in the accident and had been hospitalised, but the figure later rose to 157 injured, about 90 percent of all those on board.
The Governor’s office also confirmed that the plane was carrying 177 people, including six crew members.
According to NTV television, the condition of the plane’s two pilots was serious.
“The plane could not hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skidded for around 50-60 metres (160-200ft),” Yerlikaya told reporters at the airport, adding that emergency teams were trying to rescue the last wounded passenger.
The plane split into three pieces after what Yerlikaya said was a drop of around 30 to 40 metres (100-130ft) at the end of the wet runway.
The airport was shut down after the crash landing and flights were being diverted to Istanbul’s main airport.
The plane crash is coming a month after a Pegasus plane with 164 people on board skidded off the runway in Istanbul at the same airport. There were no deaths or injuries in that incident on January 7.
