Pegasus Airlines flight skids off runway in Istanbul; 3 dead, 179 hurt

A Pegasus Airlines plane flying into Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport skidded off the end of a wet runway and broke into three pieces after landing on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring 179, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

The three had died in hospital, with 179 of the 183 aboard wounded, Koca told reporters in the eastern province of Van. The injured were being treated at 18 nearby hospitals, Ali Yerlikaya, the governor of Istanbul, had said earlier, adding that the plane was carrying 177 passengers and six crew from the western province of Izmir. “The plane could not hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skidded for around 50 to 60 metres,” Yerlikaya told reporters at the airport.