BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — A passenger jet carrying 90 people, including a Kyrgyz high school sports team, crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday near the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, killing 68, government officials said.
The Boeing 737 was headed to Iran when it crashed near Bishkek’s Manas International Airport, said government spokeswoman Roza Daudova. Twenty-two people survived.
An airport official said the crew reported a technical problem about 10 minutes into the flight and that the plane was returning to the airport when it crashed. The official said she was not authorized to give her name.
Officials said the crash followed a sudden decompression of the jet, which came down in a field near a village.
Among the survivors were seven of 17 members of a sports team from a school in the capital, said Health Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Bayalinova. Eighteen survivors were hospitalized, and four others were sent home with no serious injuries, Daudova said. She said the people on board included 24 Kyrgyz citizens, 52 Iranians, three Kazakhs, two Canadians, one citizen of Turkey and one Chinese.
Maj. Damian Pickart, public affairs officer for the U.S. airbase at the Manas airport, said U.S. ambulances and firefighting equipment responded to a Kyrgyz request for help.
Officials said the plane belonged to Itek Air, which has been banned from operating in European Union airspace because of failure to meet safety and aviation standards, according to a list published by the EU on July 24.
Prime Minister Igor Chudinov said the plane was built in 1979, which is considered relatively old for a commercial jet. He said that the captain had survived but was not yet able to speak.
“You understand what state he is in,” Chudinov said.Related
The New York Times contributed to this report.
