Russian plane crashes near Turkish Mediterranean airport; all 28 aboard survive

By: KabirT - 10th November 2002 at 10:14

ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) -- A Russian small plane carrying 28 people crashed Saturday near an airport in the Turkish Mediterranean resort of Antalya, an official said. No one was killed.

The Antonov 26 lost altitude, clipped a power line and crashed as it was trying to land at the airport, Antalya Governor Ertugrul Dokuzolgu said.

Eight of the people escaped with minor injuries, while 20 others were rushed to hospitals.

The plane, with 19 passengers and a crew of nine, was traveling in stormy weather when it crashed in an empty field some 1650 feet from the airport, Dokuzolgu said.

Firefighters cut through the plane's fuselage to rescue passengers, the Anatolia news agency said.

The plane took off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurgada and was landing at Antalya to refuel before setting off for Russia, he said.

All 19 passengers were employees of a Russian company who were returning home from an assignment in Hurgada, he said.

The cause for the crash was under investigation. But the plane may have crashed because of storms and bad weather which hit Antalya on Saturday, police said.

Antalya, 330 miles south of the capital Ankara, is a popular destination for Russian tourists.