Seventy-four people, mostly Spanish peacekeeping forces serving in Afghanistan were killed when a Ukrainian plane crashed Monday while trying to refuel in northwest Turkey, Turkish media reported.
The plane was flying from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Zaragoza, Spain, with a refueling stop in Trabzon, NTV television reported, quoting Turkish aviation officials.
The Russian made YAK-42 hit a mountain slope near the town of Macka, some 50 kilometers south of the Black Sea port of Trabzon, NTV said.
Spain's Defense Ministry, for its part, said there were 62 Spanish military officials on board the craft, 41 from the army and 21 from the air force. Turkish officials reported 12 crewmembers aboard.
Military officials at the scene said there were no survivors, according to CNN-Turk television.
The plane apparently went down on its third attempt to land in thick fog at Trabzon airport, the aviation officials said, NTV reported. The officials added the pilot reported not being able to see the runway in the first two attempts, and the plane disappeared from radar screens at 4:45 a.m.
Turkish soldiers retrieved over 25 charred bodies from the wreckage, Gov. Aslan Yildirim of Trabzon told CNN-Turk television. (Albawaba.com)
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