71 FEARED DEAD IN RUSSIA PLANE CRASH
Aircraft disappears from radar two minutes after take-off, says source
ARUSSIAN passenger plane carrying 71 people crashed outside the city yesterday after taking off from the capital’s Domodedovo airport.
The Antonov An-148 plane operated by the domestic Saratov Airlines was flying to Orsk, a city in the Urals, and crashed in the Ramensky district near here.
Local news agencies reported 65 passengers and six crew were on board and all were feared dead. News agencies also said witnesses in the village of Argunovo saw a burning plane falling from the sky.
A source from Russia’s emergency services told Interfax that the 71 people on board “had no chance” of survival.
President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the families of those on board.
State television aired a video of the crash site, showing parts of the wreckage in the snow.
Russia had seen record high snowfalls in recent days and visibility was reportedly poor. The plane was seven years old and bought by Saratov Airlines from another local airline a year ago.
Local media reported that the emergency services were unable to reach the crash site by road, and that rescue workers had to walk to the scene. A source at Domodedovo, the capital’s second largest airport, said the plane disappeared from radars within two minutes of take-off.
The Transport Ministry said several causes for the crash were being considered, including weather conditions and human error.