WEB DESK
A Russian passenger plane carrying 71 people crashed in the outskirts of Moscow today after taking off from the capital’s Domodedovo airport. Russian media report said 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 outside Moscow.
Russian news agencies reported 65 passengers and 6 crew were on board. News agencies 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. The same news agency reported that the wreckage of the plane was spread over a wide area around the crash site.
A source at Domodedovo airport told agencies that the plane disappeared from radars within two minutes of take off. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. Interfax said the Russian Transport Ministry was considering various possible reasons, including weather conditions and a pilot error. Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov and rescue services were trying to reach the crash site.