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Passenger jet crashes in Kyrgyzstan, news agencies report
MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- A Boeing passenger jet crashed Sunday while taking off from the airport in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, Russian news agencies reported.
However, an official at the airport characterized the accident as an emergency landing. The official, who said she had no information about casualties, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to give her name to the media.
The Interfax news agency quoted an unidentified airport official as saying the plane went down near the airport and that there were casualties. Interfax said the plane was a Boeing-737 with more than 100 people aboard.
The RIA-Novosti news agency quoted an unidentified spokesman at a U.S. air base at Bishkek's Manas airport as saying a passenger plane crashed near a village close to the airport shortly after takeoff. Officials at the U.S. base could not immediately be reached for comment.
Interfax said the plane belonged to a company called Itak-Air and was headed to Mashhad in northeastern Iran.