Plane crash kills about 70 in Kyrgyzstan

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Source: CCTV.com | 08-25-2008 10:28

About 70 people died on Sunday when a Kyrgyz airliner crashed outside the capital of Kyrgyzstan -- Bishkek. Among the dead were members of a local basketball team comprised of teenagers.

The Boeing 737-200 was chartered by an Iranian company and bound for Tehran. It crashed soon after take-off on Sunday near Manas airport, located about 30 kilometers from Bishkek.

At least 25 passengers survived the crash of a Boeing-737  passenger jet near Bishkek, capital of Central Asia's  Kyrgyzstan on Sunday, Kyrgyz Emergency Minister Kamchibek  Tashiyev said.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

A spokeswoman for the airport says the plane reported a technical problem... and tried to return to the airport before the crash. According to initial reports, the plane suffered from a sudden loss of pressure, causing the pilot to request an emergency landing.

Kyrgyz Emergencies Minister Kamchibek Tashiyev said 90 people were on board and 25 of them survived. But later, after an emergency meeting, Prime Minister Igor Chudinov said there were fewer survivors than that.