Turkish cargo operator ACT Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 destroyed dozens of mudbrick buildings as it failed in its attempt to land at nearby Manas airport at 07:31 local time (0131 GMT) in foggy weather.
The crash killed all four crew members and an estimated 33 people on the ground, scattering fragments of the plane for hundreds of meters (yards) and setting some buildings on fire.
A heavy stench of fuel was in the air in Dachi Suu and smoke, mixed with dense fog, made it hard to see anything more than a stone’s throw away.