Monday, August 25, 2008

Itek Air Boeing 737 Crash

A passenger plane has crashed shortly after take-off from Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, killing 68 out of the 90 passengers and crew, officials say.

There were many foreigners on board, including Iranians and Canadians.

The Itek Air Boeing 737 took off bound for Iran, but turned round about 10 minutes later.

An airport spokeswoman said the crew had reported a technical problem, and the plane crashed not far from the airport and caught fire.

Ambulances and fire-fighting equipment from the nearby US air base at Manas, 30km (20 miles) from Bishkek, were despatched to help with the rescue effort.
The passenger list is as follows:
52 Iranians
24 Kyrgyz
Three Kazakhs
Two Canadians
One Chinese
One Turk
Seven crew

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