Three are dead and 179 others have been wounded after a plane slid off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport on Wednesday, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced.

Four Chinese nationals were injured in the incident but these were not life-threatening, the Chinese Consulate-General in Istanbul confirmed on Thursday.

All the injured has been taken to hospital for further treatment.

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a tweet that the accident happened at 6:19 p.m. local time (15:19 GMT) when a plane from Turkey's Pegasus Airlines with 183 people onboard, including six crew members, skidded off the runway shortly after landing.

"The plane could not hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skidded for around 50-60 meters," Yerlikaya told reporters at the airport.

Video footage aired by Turkish TV broadcasters showed that the front part of the aircraft was torn apart and the plane was split into three parts.