Incident

Three passengers died and scores were wounded when a Pegasus Airlines passenger jet flying in from western Turkey's İzmir veered off the runway after landing at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport on Wednesday afternoon, APA reports citing Daily Sabah.

"Three evacuees have died of injuries, 179 others are being treated [at the hospital]," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a statement.

The Boeing 737-800's fuselage broke in three and caught fire. Firefighters and ambulances were dispatched to the scene immediately after the accident.

The plane was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, according to Transportation Minister Cahit Turhan. He said the accident happened due to a "hard landing."

***23:58

One person was killed as a result of the hard landing conducted by a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-86J plane in Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, while the number of injured people climbed to 157, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday, APA reports.

"At this stage, 157 injured people are in hospital and one of our fellow citizens has lost their life", Fahrettin Koca told reporters.

Turkish Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan previously said that no one was killed in the incident, and it was also reported that 139 people sustained injuries.

***23:21

At least 120 people have been injured in Wednesday’s crash landing of a passenger plane at Istanbul’s Sabiaha Gokcen airport, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya informed, APA reports.

"According to recent data, unfavorable weather conditions caused the crash. The plane crashed on the landing strip from the height of 30 meters. So far, 120 people have been taken to hospital," he said on Turkey’s NTV channel.

***21:41

Pegasus Airlines passenger jet flying in from the western city of İzmir veered off the runway after landing at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport on Wednesday afternoon, APA reports citing Daily Sabah.

The Boeing 737-800's fuselage broke in three and caught fire. Firefighters and ambulances were dispatched to the scene immediately after the accident.

The plane was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, according to Transportation Minister Cahit Turhan. He said there were no fatalities but some passengers were wounded. He said the accident was due to a "hard landing."

"Our teams are currently evacuating the passengers. There are no casualties so far, only injuries," Turhan said.

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said 21 evacuees were hospitalized for injuries. He later updated that as 52. There were 171 passengers aboard the plane, the governor said.

The airport, which serves much of Istanbul's Asian districts and the nearby industrial hub cities like Bursa, Kocaeli and Sakarya, has been temporarily closed to air traffic.

Turkey's flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) announced that it was canceling all flights to and from the airport for the rest of the day.

Budget carrier Pegasus, the country's second-biggest airline, uses Sabiha Gökçen as its main hub. The airline said in a statement that flight number PC2193, with the registration TC-IZK, skidded off the runway. There were no casualties and the injured were being transferred to hospitals.

Prosecutors in the capital Ankara have launched an investigation into the incident.

Strong southwestern winds and rainfall have been battering the city for much of the day.

On Jan. 7, another Pegasus 737-800 aircraft skidded off the runway at Sabiha Gökçen and stopped on top of a grassy area between two runways amid adverse weather conditions. No one was injured in that incident.

In January 2018, a Pegasus Boeing 737-800 slid down an embankment at Trabzon Airport on the Black Sea and stopped just meters from the water with its wheels stuck in thick mud.

After four days, the plane was eventually lifted back onto the runway. All 162 passengers and six crew were safely evacuated.

***20:01

The airport has been temporarily closed due to the incident. Ambulance crews and police are working on the scene, APA reports citing Anadolu agency.

A passenger Boeing 737-800 plane has skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

The plane suffered damage to the fuselage which broke into pieces and caught fire. The fire on the plane was extinguished by firefighters.

All passengers have been evacuated from the jet.

According to Turkey's transport minister, there are no fatalities in the incident.

There were 177 passengers on board the plane.

All inbound flights are being redirected to Istanbul's Atatürk Airport.