Russian cargo plane crashes in Syria, killing all 39 on board

A Russian military cargo plane crashed as it was descending to land at an air base Tuesday in Syria, killing all

39 people on board, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Russian military said an Anto

nov-26, with 33 passengers and six crew members on board, crashed about 1,600 feet from the runway.

The military attributed the crash to a possible technical error but will investigate.

The Defense Ministry insisted that the plane was not shot down.