A Turkish cargo jet has crashed near the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, killing at least 37 people.

The Boeing 747 crashed near the Manas airport outside Bishkek at around 7:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT) as it was attempting to land in poor visibility because of dense fog on Monday.

The doomed plane plowed for a few hundred meters (yards) through the village, shattering into pieces and damaging some 15 buildings.

Initial estimates put the death toll from the crash at 37, said Kyrgyzstaninfo-icon's emergencies ministry.

Kyrgyz officials initially identified the Boeing 747-400 as belonging to Turkish Airlines (THYAO.IS), but Turkish cargo operator ACT Airlines said the jet was theirs.

"Our TC-MCL signed plane, flying on Jan. 16 from Hong Konginfo-icon to Bishkek, crashed on landing at Bishkek at the end of the runway for an unknown reason," ACT Airlines said in an emailed statement.

"More information will be disclosed concerning our four-person team when we get clear information."