Istanbul Airport Reopens After Plane Crashes On Landing Killing Three
Feb. 6--ISTANBUL -- Flights resumed at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport on Thursday after a passenger plane skidded off a runway and broke apart as it landed in bad weather.
State news agency Anadolu reported that the airport on Istanbul's Asian side was open and Pegasus Airlines -- whose plane crashed -- said its flights would continue as scheduled.
The Turkish budget airliner was landing in Istanbul on Wednesday amidst roaring winds and heavy rains from Izmir's Adnan Menderes Airport, on Turkey's Aegean coast.
The plane slid some 50-60 metres in the direction of a highway and then plunged 30-40 metres into a ditch, eventually landing in a field further on.
Broadcast footage showed the aircraft almost split in three. The nose was completely smashed, the tail had split and parts of the fuselage were shattered.
The site remained cordoned off on Thursday and surrounded by security guards.
There were 183 onboard: 175 passengers and two babies, plus four flight attendants and two pilots.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said three people were killed and 179 injured.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said they included 22 foreign nationals from 13 countries, citing the airline, but didn't provide further details.
Turkish authorities haven't described the nature of the injuries or identified the fatalities. Yerlikaya said an investigation had been launched into the accident.
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