Russian plane crashes near Moscow, 71 feared dead

A Russian passenger plane carrying 71 people crashed outside Moscow on Sunday after taking off from the capital's Domodedovo airport, officials and local media 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 on the outskirts of Moscow.

Russian news agencies reported 65 passengers and six crew members were on board and all were feared dead. 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. President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the families of those on board.

"The president offers his profound condolences to those who lost their relatives in the crash," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. State television aired a video of the crash site, showing parts of the wreckage in the snow. Russia has seen record high snowfalls in recent days and visibility was reportedly poor.

The Russian-made plane was seven years old and bought by Saratov Airlines from another Russian airline a year ago. Russian media reported that the emergency services were unable to reach the crash site by road and that rescue workers walked to the scene on foot. Emergency services said in a statement that over 150 rescue workers were deployed to the site.

A source at Domodedovo, Moscow's second largest airport, told agencies that the plane disappeared from radars within two minutes of take off. The Russian transport minister was on his way to the crash site, agencies reported.

>> 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 on the outskirts of Moscow. Seventy-one people on board are feared to be dead.

>> A source at Domodedovo, Moscow's second largest airport, told agencies that the plane disappeared from radars within two minutes of take off. News agencies said witnesses in the village of Argunovo saw a burning plane falling from the sky.

>> The Russian transport minister was on his way to the crash site, agencies reported. The transport ministry said several causes for the crash are being considered, including weather conditions and human error.

>> Emergency services were unable to reach the crash site by road and that rescue workers walked to the scene on foot

2 mins
The time within which the plane went missing after take-off

65
Total number of passengers on board

6
Total no. of crew members

150
Total number of rescue workers deployed at the site

2:21 pm
Plane takes off from Moscow airport

2:23 pm
The plane goes off the radar