An airport official said the crash occurred after the crew reported a technical problem on board about 10 minutes into the flight to Tehran, Iran, and said they were returning to the airport. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to give her name. Kyrgyz Interior Minister Maldomusa Kongatiyev told the AP there were seven crew members on board in addition to the 83 passengers. He said the plane went down 6 miles from the airport.
Interfax quoted Kyrgyz Emergency Situations Minister Kamchibek Tashiyev as saying the plane crashed 3 miles from the airport and that it had 123 people on board.