6th February, 2020
Three persons have been confirmed dead and 179 injured, some seriously after a Pegasus Airlines plane heading into Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport skidded off the end of a wet runway and broke into three pieces upon landing.
In an update on casualties, Turkey’s health minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters Thursday that three persons died in hospital, with 179 of the 183 aboard wounded.
Ali Yerlikaya, Istanbul’s governor, said the injured are being treated at 18 nearby hospitals.
The plane was carrying 177 passengers and six crew from the western province of Izmir, he said.
This offers a revised figure of the people carried by the plane, from 177 to 183.
“The plane could not hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skidded for around 50 to 60 meters.”
The Boeing 737-86J broke into three pieces after a drop of around 30 to 40 metres at the end of the runway. Footage shows the plane landing and continuing at high speed off the runway.
Flights were diverted to Istanbul Airport while the runway at Sabiha Gokcen was closed, but Sabiha Gokcen Airport announced the runway was reopening from 4am and its website showed flights had resumed this morning.
Pegasus said in a statement the plane had gone off the runway and passengers were evacuated, but gave no further details.