A Turkish airliner skidded off a runway, crashing and breaking apart while landing in bad weather in Istanbul Wednesday, killing three people and injuring over 100 more passengers.
The aircraft, operated by Pegasus Airlines, was arriving at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport from the western Turkish city of Izmir with 183 passengers and crew on board when it had what the Transportation Ministry described as a “rough landing.” Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said the plane failed to “hold onto the runway” and skidded before it dropped into the ditch from a height of about 98 feet. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca reported early Thursday that three people had died and 179 required care at multiple hospitals.
The airport was shut down after the incident, which occurred at around 6:30 p.m. local time, and flights were diverted to Istanbul’s main airport..
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