2 killed in plane crash in NW Turkey

ISTANBUL - A civilian training aircraft on Monday crashed in a residential area in Turkey's northwestern province of Bursa, killing two people on board, a local official announced.

The plane crashed in the middle of houses at around 3:00 pm local time (1200 GMT) on Sarigul Street in the central Osmangazi district and caught fire, Bursa Governor Yakup Canbolat told reporters on the scene.

He said the training pilot, who was later identified as Furkan Otkun, and his trainee Murat Avsar were killed in the mishap.

Two buildings and two vehicles were seriously damaged, he added, saying a comprehensive investigation was launched into the incident.

Video footage showed flames and heavy smoke coming out of the incident location and security officials cordoning off the area.

Some explosions also occurred due to the fire, according to press reports.

Mustafa, Yildiz, an eyewitness who is residing in the area, told the NTV broadcaster that citizens were in a big panic when the aircraft fell over parked vehicles after hitting a building.

The plane was a TC-UTT T2002JF model 2002 trainer aircraft, said the NTV report.