Jetliner skids off runway, nearly into Black Sea in Turkey

TRABZON, Turkey -- Passengers on a Turkish airliner came frighteningly close to a water evacuation after their plane skidded off the runway and down an embankment, coming to rest just feet from the Black Sea.

Photos of the aftermath show the Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 perched precariously on the slope and surrounded by emergency vehicles.

Trabzon Gov. Yucel Yavuz told the Associated Press that all 162 passengers and crew on board were evacuated and are safe.

Passenger Yuksel Gordu told Turkey's official Anadolu news agency that words weren't enough to describe their fear.

"It's a miracle we escaped. We could have burned, exploded, flown into the sea," Gordu said. "Thank God for this. I feel like I'm going crazy when I think about it."

The airliner was flying from Ankara to Trabzon on the country's northern coast. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.