Death toll reaches 37 after crash of ACT Airlines Boeing 747-400 in Kyrgyzstan

A Boeing 747-400 operated by Turkish cargo operator ACT Airlines has crashed near Kyrgyzstan’s Manas Airport at 7.31 Monday, local time; initial reports that the four-man crew all died, with 33 village residents also perishing. The plane was on a flight from Hong Kong to Istanbul and was due to land at Manas Airport, close to the country’s capital, Bishkek, to refuel. It is understood the plane was attempting to land in poor weather conditions with reduced visibility.
It would appear that after crashing in Dachi SUU village, the jet continued on for a few hundred meters, razing mudbrick buildings to the ground that were in its path and damaging many others. Local residents initially thought the village had been struck by an earthquake. Turkish Airlines (THYAO.IS) released a statement that the cargo flight was being operated by ACT Airlines and that neither the Boeing 747-400 aircraft nor the crew belonged to Turkish Airlines. The Turkish cargo operator, ACT Airlines, confirmed the jet was theirs. The airline issued an email stating that: “Our TC-MCL signed plane, flying on Jan. 16 from Hong Kong to Bishkek, crashed on landing at Bishkek at the end of the runway for an unknown reason”.