Three people had died in the hospital after the accident, adding that 179 out of the 183 passengers and crew on the plane were wounded.
The plane was carrying 177 passengers and six crew from the western province of Izmir. He said the wounded were being treated at 18 hospitals in the area. The plane could not hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skid for around 50-60 metres.
The plane, a Boeing 737-86J, split into three pieces a drop of around 30 to 40 metres at the end of the wet runway. Footage showed the plane landing and continuing at a high speed off the runway.
Transport Minister Cahit Turhan said flights waiting to land in Sabiha Gokcen had been diverted to Istanbul Airport. Pegasus said in a statement that the plane had gone off the runway and that passengers were being evacuated. It has been reported that the plane had attempted to land in heavy tailwinds despite the previous two flights holding off due to the wind.
Television footage showed the plane’s fuselage, as well as a section of it near the tail, had broken off. Passengers were being led out as the plane lay on a patch of grass next to the runway. Dozens of emergency response personnel took passengers out of the plane and carried them away on stretchers. Earlier footage showed a part of the exterior of the plane had caught on fire, which state media said was extinguished by firefighters.
