Dozens Die as Cargo Jet Crashes Into Village

Dozens of people in a village just outside Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek airport died in a horrific crash early Monday when a Boeing 747 cargo plane apparently missed the runway. The plane plowed for hundreds of yards through the village, breaking into pieces and destroying at least 15 buildings, Reuters reports. Authorities say the death toll is at least 37, most of them villagers. The plane, which belonged to Turkish cargo operator ACT Airlines, was arriving from Hong Kong amid poor visibility caused by dense fog. The airline says it "crashed on landing at Bishkek at the end of the runway for an unknown reason."

The fuselage of the destroyed plane could be seen jutting out of the wreckage of the village of Zhang-Zhang, CNN reports. At least 15 people, including children, were hospitalized. "I woke up because of a bright red light outside," an injured villager told local television, per the AP. "I couldn't understand what was happening. It turns out the ceiling and the walls were crashing on us. I was so scared, but I managed to cover my son's face with my hands so that debris would not fall on him." In a statement, Boeing offered its "deepest condolences" to the families of victims and said a technical team is ready to provide assistance as required. (More plane crash stories.)