A total of 145 people were killed in a Russian planecrash in southern Siberia, according to a new toll announced today by theinterior ministry, ITAR-TASS reported.
The TU-154 aircraft crashed 20 kilometres from Irkutsk, southern Siberia, as it was preparing to land
A total of 145 people were killed in a Russian planecrash in southern Siberia, according to a new toll announced today by theinterior ministry, ITAR-TASS reported.
The three-engined jet, owned by regional airlineVladivostokavia, had been flying from Yekaterinburg in the Ural mountains to theFar East port city of Vladivostok.
The plane crashed yesterday 20 kilometres from Irkutsk,as it was preparing to land, shortly after contact was lost with air trafficcontrol, the ministry said.
Reports said that the aircraft came down in an areastudded with summer holiday homes, or dachas, causing a blaze. They added thatthere had been no further casualties on the ground.
Picking through the wreckage of the Tupolev TU-154passenger jet were around 70 local rescue workers, while another team from theministry of emergency situations had been sent from Moscow, according to RTRtelevision.
Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu, left Lensk inSiberia late yesterday to coordinate operations.
Rescue workers put out the fire from the plane and thescene was declared a disaster zone, Interfax said.
Meanwhile, a black-box flight recorder of the passengerjet which crashed in Siberia has been found, the local office of the emergenciesministry said today.
The crash of the plane was caused by a mechanicalproblem, a senior executive of the airline which owned the plane said today.
AFP