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US refueling plane crashes in Kyrgyzstan

03 May 2013 13:38 (UTC +04:00)

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker fell into a mountain gorge about 60 kilometers west from the capital Bishkek, a ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti.

Local residents cited by Kyrgyz and Russian media gave conflicting versions of the incident, with some saying the aircraft fell apart in the air and other claiming it blew up on impact.

Pilots’ fate remained immediately unclear, as was the cause of the crash. Locals reported seeing no parachutes in the vicinity of the incident. The Stratotanker has a crew of five.

The burning debris covered an area of about 1 kilometer in radius in a hard-to-reach area, reports said. Emergency workers and medics were dispatched to the site.

The Stratotanker was attached to the US Air Force base in Manas, Bishkek’s international airport. The base provided transit for American forces in Afghanistan since 2001, but is due to be shut down in 2014 because the Kyrgyz government refused to extend the lease.