Nine people have been killed after a Turkish Airlines plane crashed while trying to land at Amsterdam’s main airport.

Plane crashed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport

The aircraft, carrying 127 passengers and seven crew, broke into three pieces when it hit the ground next to the runway at Schiphol Airport.

Its director said nine people had lost their lives and more than 50 others were injured.

Earlier, Turkey’s Transport Minister Binali Yildirim and Turkish Airlines chief executive Temel Kotil were reported to have said no-one died.

The Boeing 737-800 was on a flight from Istanbul to Amsterdam.

It came down in a field outside the airport perimeter.

“All rescue operations are in full swing at the moment,” said an official.

Female passenger walks away after crash

TV images showed the aircraft on the ground, with the tail section of the fuselage broken off, and a wide crack in the fuselage just behind the cockpit.

Both of the plane’s engines were torn off and lay around 100 meters from the remains of the fuselage.

The airliner, Flight TK1951, did not appear to have caught fire.

There was no immediate word on what caused the crash, which happened in slightly misty weather with little wind.

Wim Kok, a spokesman for the Dutch Anti-Terror Coordinator’s office, said terrorism did not appear to be a factor.

“There are no indications whatsoever (of a terror attack),” Mr Kok said.

A survivor, Mustafa Bahcecioglu, told Turkish broadcaster Channel 24: “We are in the middle of a field now, approximately 5-6 km from the airport.

“The majority of the passengers are injured but there are people who are not injured. Around 30 ambulances have come here.”

Another crash survivor was reported as saying people were able to walk away from the crash.

According to a journalist in Turkey, “He (the survivor) said the back of the plane hit the ground first.

“He said it was not an extremely horrible situation, it was like being in turbulence. He said it was more like a sudden impact, then we stopped.”

Aerial photo of Schiphol Airport

Aviation analyst Philip Butterworth-Hayes, from Jane’s World Airlines, told Sky News: “It was new generation of 737s, with new engines and a very good safety record.”

“The aircraft is made in three particular barrels – a middle, rear and front section.

“The plane doesn’t appear to have broken before landing, and was in pretty good shape when touching down. The pilot must have been able to control the aircraft right up to landing.”

He added: “There seems to be considerable structural damage at the rear.

“It may have landed with its nose up. The damage at the back was worse than the front, which implies it landed at a fairly steep angle.”