A BOEING 747 Turkish cargo plane from Hong Kong has crashed in Kyrgyzstan, killing at least 32 people, most of them on the ground, according to the BBC citing officials.
The air freighter crashed into homes near Manas airport, about 25km (15 miles) north of the capital, Bishkek, the Kyrgyz government said.
At least 15 buildings were destroyed and a number of children are reported to have been among those killed.
Flight TK6491 was making a stopover in Manas en route to Istanbul in Turkey. The plane belonged to Turkish cargo carrier ACT, which flies under the name MyCargo.
"Our condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic incident involving an ACT Airlines aircraft in Kyrgyzstan," it wrote on Twitter.
The plane came down 01:30 GMT yesterday in the village of Dacha-Suu, a popular holiday home area.
Visibility was poor at the time because of freezing fog, but the cause of the crash has not yet been confirmed.
There are reports that one crew member survived. 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.
