Aviation

30.11, crash, fatalities

Turkey: a Turkish airliner crashed near the town of Isparta in central Turkey killing all 56 people on board. The 165-seat McDonnell Douglas MD-83 crashed in the mountains in the Isparta province of central Turkey. It had been flying from Istanbul with 49 passengers and seven crew. It was not immediately clear what had caused the crash, which occurred 12 km from Isparta’s Suleyman Demirel Airport. The death toll rose from 56 to 57 after a reexamination of the passenger manifest. The initial toll omitted a baby among the passengers of the aircraft. The site of the crash, about 12 kilometres from the airport, was not on the aircraft’s route, suggesting it had veered off course. The weather was fine and officials say visibility would not have been a problem. There was no evidence of any technical problems or of any fire on board before the crash. The pilot did not send a distress signal.