Russian plane carrying squad of paratroopers crashes as 19 passengers are killed and three injured
Plane carrying squad of Russian paratroopers crashes, killing 19 passengers and injuring three
Nineteen feared dead after a plane carrying paratroopers crashed in RussiaAn L-410 plane carrying 21 parachutists crashed near Menzelinsk in TatarstanThe Emergencies Ministry confirmed there were 23 people on board
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Nineteen people are feared dead after a plane carrying a squad of paratroopers crashed in central Russia on Sunday.
The L-410, a Czech-made twin-engine turboprop carrying 21 parachutists and two crew members, crashed immediately after take-off near Menzelinsk in the region of Tatarstan, Interfax reported.
The plane belonged to the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy of Russia, which describes itself as a sports and defence organisation, Russiab media said. The aeroclub declined to comment, citing a law enforcement investigation into the incident.
The Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said it had opened a criminal investigation into a suspected violation of safety regulations.
Images published by the Emergencies Ministry showed the aircraft broken in half with a severely dented nose at the crash site about 600 miles east of Moscow.
Nineteen people are feared dead after a plane carrying a squad of paratroopers crashed in central Russia on Sunday
This map shows the site of the plane crash in Menzelinsk, Tartarstan, in central Russia
An L-410 plane carrying 21 parachutists and two crew members crashed near Menzelinsk in the region of Tatarstan, Interfax said
Emergency specialists work at the crash site of the L-410 plane near the town of Menzelinsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia
Cosmonauts use the area for training and the aeroclub has hosted local, European championships and one world championship, the club’s director Ravil Nurmukhametov said, according to TASS.
The state-run Cosmonaut Training Centre has suspended its ties with the aeroclub pending an investigation, TASS cited a source as saying.
Photographs of some of the parachutists on board posing in kit or with a plane were circulated on the REN TV channel and on social media.
In a statement, the Russian ministry said: ‘Fire and rescue units are at the scene, there are 23 people on board, three people have been rescued, further rescue operations are underway.’
Russian aviation safety standards have been tightened in recent years but accidents continue to happen, particularly in remote regions.
An ageing Antonov An-26 transport plane crashed in the Russian far east last month killing six people. All 28 people on board an Antonov An-26 twin-engine turboprop died in a crash in Kamchatka in July.
