Cargo plane carrying workers crashes north of Baghdad, killing 34 people

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A plane crashed north of Baghdad while trying to land in heavy fog Tuesday on a flight from Turkey, and officials said 34 people died. Most were Turkish construction workers.

The cause of the crash near Balad, some 50 miles north of the capital, was not clear. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said reports indicated the aircraft went down because of bad weather. An Iraqi security official said it wasn't known if the plane was shot down or had mechanical problems.

The Turkish Embassy reported there was one severely injured survivor, a Turk.

The Iraqi security official at Baghdad airport, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said most passengers were Turks who worked at the Baghdad airport.

The pilot aborted an initial attempt to land because of heavy fog, then crashed on a second attempt, the Turkish Foreign Ministry official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not yet been authorized.

Turkish news agencies said the plane was trying to land at a U.S. military base at Balad. The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed the crash happened at Balad, but did not say whether it was at the U.S. base.

The Antonov-26 plane belonged to the private Moldovan air cargo company Ariantur M. It took off from Turkey's southern city of Adana, and most of those aboard worked for the Kulak construction company, Adana's governor said.

Gov. Cahit Kirac said one American, one Russian and one Ukrainian were also aboard.

The dead included Durdu Mehmet Kayis, a 55-year-old retired construction worker who joined the Kulak company to supplement his meager state pension, his cousin Ramazan Mercan said. It would have been his first trip to Iraq.

"He had five mouths to feed, including three children who are still at school," Mercan said from Adana. "He had no choice but to go to Iraq despite the risks."

The director of Aeriantur M, Serghei Caraus, said that five Moldovans were on the plane and that a commission from the company and the Moldovan civil aviation agency would travel to Iraq to investigate.

Ali Ariduru, deputy head of the Turkish aviation authority, said initial information indicated there was no technical malfunction on the plane.

About 300 Turkish companies are active in Iraq, employing 8,000 to 10,000 Turkish workers, mostly in construction. Most workers come from Turkey's impoverished southeast region bordering Iraq, where jobs are scarce and pay is low.

Many Turkish companies have been transporting workers to Iraq by air instead of road out of safety concerns. More than 100 Turks, most of them truck drivers, have been killed in attacks on vehicles or after being kidnapped since the start of war in Iraq.

Turkey's International Transportation Association reported a 40 percent drop in transport business with Iraq in the first nine months of 2006, compared to the period in the previous year.