Passenger plane skids off runway and gets stuck dangling off cliff edge

A passenger plane skidded off the runway and was left stuck in mud off the edge of a cliff in Turkey.

The Pegasus Airlines plane was landing at Trabzon airport with 162 passengers on board when it overshot the runway and slid down a coastal cliff on Saturday night (13 January).

Emergency services said all passengers were evacuated safely.

It is not yet known what caused the Boeing 737-800, which had flown from Ankara, to skid off the runway.

Trabzon Governor Yucel Yavuz said a crisis desk had been set up after the accident.

"We've taken all necessary measures. We will reopen the airport to air traffic as soon as possible," he said.

Yavus said the airport had been closed overnight to launch an investigation.

One of the passengers, Fatma Gordu, said panic erupted onboard as the plane skidded out of control.

"We tilted to the side, the front was down while the plane's rear was up. There was panic, people shouting, screaming," she told state-run news agency Anadolu.