Most of the victims are believed to be residents of a village in the crash area when the Boeing 747 came down in dense fog near Manas airport.

The plane reportedly crashed as it tried to land at around 7.30am local time (1.30am UK time) near the capital Biskek, in an area with a number of summer houses.

Mukhammed Svarov, head of the crisis management centre at the emergencies ministry, said at least 37 people were dead after the plane damaged 15 buildings.

The healthcare ministry said rescue workers had recovered the body of a pilot and 15 villagers.

Airport officials said the jet had been due to make a stopover at Manas on its way from Hong Kong to Istanbul.

Kyrgyzstan's transport ministry said there were five people on board.

It identified the plane as a Turkish Airlines Boeing 747-400, but the company said it belonged to another Turkish firm, ACT Airlines.

"Our condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic incident involving an ACT Airlines aircraft in Kyrgyzstan," Turkish Airlines said on its Twitter account.