BISHKEK, January 16. /TASS/. A cargo plane has crashed near Kyrgyzstan’s capital, the press service of the Bishkek airport said on Monday.

"After the crash two houses in the community caught fire. The firefighting effort is underway," the ministry said.

"There were only crew members onboard, we cannot tell you the exact number," the airport’s press service said.

The aircraft, on the flight from Istanbul to Bishkek, crashed several kilometers from the Manas airport.

The death toll in the Boeing 747 cargo plane crash near Bishkek’s airport has soared to 37, the republic’s Health Ministry told TASS.

"Another eight people, including six children, were hospitalized from the crash scene in serious condition," the ministry said.

Causes of the crash

Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Transport and Roads, Zhamshitbek Kalilov, has named the preliminary cause of the Boeing 747 cargo plane crash near Bishkek’s airport. The plane missed the runway at the Manas airport, the ministry said on its official website on Monday.

"Experts are presently working at the crash site, the operational headquarters to investigate the cause of the crash has been set up. So far we cannot say why it missed the runway, whether it was due to technical malfunction or weather conditions," the minister said.

According to the republic’s Health Ministry, the death toll in the Boeing 747 cargo plane crash near Bishkek’s airport has climbed to 32. A search effort at the crash scene is ongoing and the death toll could grow. The ministry earlier said up to 40 people could have been killed.

The Boeing 747 cargo plane crashed near the Manas International Airport at 7.30 a.m. local time (01.30 a.m. GMT) during the landing. Kyrgyzstan’s Transport Ministry said the plane was on the Hong Kong-Bishkek-Istanbul flight. There were five crew members onboard. The aircraft crashed at a dacha community, where people live permanently. Nearly 15 one-storey houses were destroyed. At least six children are among those dead.

According to the Anadolu Agency, the plane was owned by Turkey’s MyCargo Airlines, also known as ACT Airlines.