71 die in Russia crash

Moscow, February 12

A Russian passenger plane carrying 71 persons crashed outside Moscow today after taking off from the capital’s Domodedovo airport, killing all on board.
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 were on board and all were declared dead. News agencies said witnesses in the village of Argunovo saw a burning plane falling from the sky.
President Vladimir Putin offered “his profound condolences to those who lost their relatives in the crash”, his 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 snowfall in recent days and visibility was reportedly poor. The Russian-made plane was reportedly 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.
A source at Domodedovo, Moscow’s second largest airport, told agencies that the plane disappeared from radars within two minutes of takeoff. The transport ministry said several causes for the crash were being considered, including weather conditions and human error.
Saratov Airlines, founded in the 1930s, operates flights to 35 Russian cities.
Russia has suffered numerous crashes, with airlines often operating ageing aircraft in dangerous flying conditions.
In December 2016, a military plane carrying Russia’s famed Red Army Choir crashed after taking off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi, killing all 92 persons on board. The choir had been due to give a concert to Russian troops in Syria. Pilot error was blamed for that crash.
In March 2016, all 62 passengers died when a FlyDubai jet crashed in bad weather during an aborted landing at Rostov-on-Don airport.