Amsterdam plane crash on Twitter

News of a Turkish airliner that crashed on approach to Schiphol Airport outside Amsterdam was first reported on the micro-blogging website Twitter.

The Boeing 737-800, which originated from Istanbul, Turkey, was trying to land at Schiphol when it crashed at about 1040 local time. Turkish media said the plane was carrying about 135 people.

Initially it was not clear if there are any injuries or fatalities, but pictures from the crash scene show the plane broken in three.

The first report on Twitter reportedly came from @nipp, who posted the message "Airplane crash @ Schiphol Airport Amsterdam!!" at 10:42, only minutes after the crash.

Free Twitter applications and tools

An official statement confirming that nine people had died was made at a press conference held at Schipol Airport.