37 die, asTurkish aircraft crash into multiple buildings

At least 37 people have been killed in Kyrgyzstan when a Turkish Cargo plane crashed due to heavy fog with most of the casualties on ground.

The Boeing 747 TC-MCL aircraft flying from HongKong crashed as it landed amid fog at Manas airport, 25km (15 miles) north of the capital, Bishkek.

No fewer than 15 buildings were destroyed in a village outside the airport, with a number of children among the dead.

The company operating the Airline, ACT had said in a statement: "Our TC-MCL signed plane, flying on January 16 from Hong Kong to Bishkek, crashed on landing at Bishkek at the end of the runway for an unknown reason."

It said it was still awaiting "clear information"

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The plane came down shortly after 07:30 local time (01:30 GMT) in the village of Dacha-Suu, a popular holiday home area near the airport.

Visibility was poor at the time because of freezing fog, but the cause of the crash has not yet been confirmed. The plane is believed to have been around 14 years old.

According to one of the witnesses, "The plane crashed into the houses. It killed entire families. There's nothing left of the houses. Many people were sleeping."

There were initial reports that one crew member had survived but later reports merely spoke of one missing pilot.

There were at least four people on board, officials said. A number of people have been taken to hospital with injuries.

A spokesman for the country's emergency services, Muhammed Svarov, told AFP the death toll "could be bigger" and that "major work is under way" to search for survivors.