According to the airport administration, the plane was supposed to make a stopover at Manas, 25km north of capital Bishkek, on its way from Hong Kong to Istanbul on Monday.

It crashed when trying to land in poor visibility at 7:31 local time (01:31 GMT).

Medical staff said that six children were among the victims. Four pilots also died, the health ministry said.

Manas airport, Kyrgystan's main international airport, has been closed, Al Jazeera reported.

According to Flightradar24 the plane belonged to ACT MyCargo Airlines, a Turkish cargo airline based in Istanbul.

Local media reported that the plane was operated by Turkish Airlines under flight number TK6491.

Our condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic incident involving an ACT Airlines aircraft in Kyrgyzstan.