Amsterdam: At least nine people have been killed and more than 50 others injured (six critically) when a Turkish Airlines plane crashed while attempting to land in the Netherlands, Dutch officials have said.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft came down at around 1031 local time (0931 GMT), several hundred yards (metres) short of the runway. It had left Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport at 0622 GMT.

The plane, carrying 126 passengers and seven crew, crashed short of the runway near the A9 highway,  but did not catch fire.

The plane was broken in three pieces. One tear was in front of the wing, splitting the “Turkish” logo in two, and a larger tear was farther back along the fuselage.

One passenger aboard the plane, Kerem Uzel, told Turkish news channel NTV that the plane’s landing had been announced when they were at an altitude of 600m (2,000ft).

“We suddenly descended a great distance as if the plane fell into turbulence. The plane’s tail hit the ground… It slid from the side of the motorway into the field.”

Officials said it was unclear why the plane, en route from Istanbul, crashed.Investigators have found the flight data recorders from the plane. They will be sent for expert analysis.

Medics treated passengers on the ground next to the buckled hulk of the plane, while firefighters and police examined the aircraft.

Emergency services spokeswoman Ineke van der Zande told a news conference that six people were in a critical condition and 25 were severely wounded.

Another 24 passengers had suffered light injuries, she said, with the injuries of another 31 still to be determined.

She said 84 people altogether had been taken using 60 ambulances to 11 hospitals in the surrounding area.