Dozens killed in cargo plane crash in Kyrgyzstan

At least 37 people were killed Monday when a Turkish cargo plane crashed into homes in Kyrgyzstan, authorities said.

The ACT Airlines Boeing 747 went down in a village near the Manas airport, south of the capital Bishkek, killing residents and people aboard the plane.

Emergency Situations Minister Kubatbek Boronov said 23 of the village's 43 houses were destroyed. Turkey’s Transport Ministry said that four Turkish crew members were among those killed, the semi-official Anadolu news agency reported.

The aircraft, which departed from Hong Kong, had been due to stop at the airport before flying onward to Istanbul,Turkey.

Deputy Prime Minister Mukhammetkaly Abulgaziyev said that more than a thousand rescue workers were at the scene, according to the Associated Press.

The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately clear. Emergency Situations Minister Kubatbek Boronov said it was foggy at the time of the crash but weather conditions were not critical, the AP reported.

ACT Airlines, which operates as myCARGO, said it was “deeply saddened” by the  incident.

“The cause of the accident is unknown at this time and further details will be provided as they become available,” it said in a statement carried by Anadolu.

One of the two flight recorders has been recovered and the Turkish transportation ministry said it was sending two accident investigation experts to assist the Kyrgyz authorities, the AP reported.