KEY POINTS

  • The Pegasus Airline flight from the province of Izmir was attempting to land at Sabiha Gokcen
  • It suffered problems while landing and began skidding across the runway, breaking into three pieces before stopping
  • None of the 183 people on board were killed, but 52 were injured and had to be taken to nearby hospitals

A plane flying into Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport on Wednesday skidded off the runway and broke into three pieces. No one was killed in the crash but 52 people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, according to reports.

A Pegasus Airlines plane was flying into the airport from the Izmir province when it experienced unknown technical problems while landing. It then skidded across the runway and began breaking apart before coming to a stop near one of the walls surrounding the airport. The front part of the fuselage was the first to come apart, followed by parts of the plane’s tail and right wing.

Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya said the plane had 183 people on board, consisting of 177 passengers and six crew members.

“There has been no loss of life, the injured passengers are being evacuated off the plane to hospitals,” Cahit Turan, Turkish Transport Minister, told reporters.

A fire reportedly broke out along the plane’s damaged exterior but was quickly extinguished by responding firefighters.

Footage and pictures of the crash site showed the extent of the damage.

Turkish authorities and airlines were quick to begin canceling flights as emergency crews worked to clean up the wreckage.

State prosecutors said they have begun an investigation into the crash.

Turkish Airlines
Passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines flight preventing a convicted felon from getting deported to his native country. A picture shows an Airbus A320 of Turkish Airlines on the tarmac at the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, July 19, 2016. Getty Images/ Jack Guez
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