A Turkish cargo plane crashed near Kyrgyzstan's main airport early Monday, killing at least 37 people, including children.
The crash was caused by "pilot error," Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Muhammetkaly Abulgaziyev said at a briefing broadcast on state television.
The Boeing 747 crashed into homes in Dacha-Suu village near Manas airport, about 25 kilometers north of the capital, Bishkek at about 7:30 am local time (0130 GMT), killing people in the residential area adjacent to the airport as well as those on the plane.
In late morning, more than a thousand rescue workers were at the site where 15 houses were destroyed, Abulgaziyev said.
Images from the scene showed the plane's nose stuck inside a brick house and large chunks of debris scattered around.
According to the airport administration, the plane was making a stopover at Manas on its way from Hong Kong to Istanbul, Turkey.
The Manas airport has been closed and flights cancelled until evening at the earliest, airport authorities said.
