22 January 2017•Update: 22 January 2017
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan
The death toll from last Monday's plane crash near the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek has gone up to 39, the country's Health Ministry said Sunday.
The ACT Airlines cargo flight from Hong Kong to Istanbul via Bishkek crashed on Jan. 16 as it came in to land amid bad weather conditions at 7.31 a.m. local time (0131GMT).
Saginbek Rahmanov, a 29-year-old Kyrgyz national succumbed to his injuries at the hospital on Sunday, the ministry said, bringing up to 35 the number of Kyrgyz citizens who lost their lives in the crash.
The remaining four victims are Turkish citizens including Capt. Ibrahim Gurcan Diranci, co-pilot Kazim Ondul, loading expert Melih Aslan, and flight technician Ihsan Koca.
Another 16 people remain hospitalized with injuries sustained in the crash, the statement added.
Two black boxes from the cargo plane were sent to Moscow Thursday for investigation, according to the Kyrgyz Prime Ministry.
The Prime Ministry Press Office also said in a statement Thursday that experts from the Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee would investigate the flight recorders to find the reason for the crash.
ACT Airlines operates under the name myCARGO. Based in Istanbul, it flies eight Boeing B747 transport aircraft, according to the company. The firm is 49 percent-owned by China’s HNA Group with the remainder belonging to Turkish interests.
In a statement last Monday, the company said it was "deeply saddened" by the incident. It said the crash was not due to technical reasons or overloading and added the real reason would be revealed to the public after an investigation was completed.
Turkish Airlines has issued a statement to clarify the aircraft was not operated or staffed by its personnel.
Reporting by Nezir Aliyev; Writing by Ayse Humeyra Atilgan
