Plane dangles off cliff after skidding off runway in Turkey

ISTANBUL (AP) — A commercial airplane that skidded off a runway after landing in northern Turkey dangled precariously off a muddy cliff with its nose only a few feet from the sea.

Images show the Boeing 737-800 on its belly and at an acute angle just above the water. If it had stopped any further along the slope, the plane would have likely plunged into the Black Sea in the Turkish province of Trabzon.

The incident late Saturday created panic among the 162 passengers and crew on board the Pegasus Airlines flight, but they were all evacuated safely.

Trabzon Gov. Yucel Yavuz said Sunday that investigators were trying to determine why the plane had left the runway and that the airport would be closed until 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT; 12 a.m. EST).

The flight originated in the capital, Ankara.