http://rt.com/news/passenger-plane-crash-kazan-866/

At least 50 feared dead as passenger jet crashes in central Russia

     

Fifty-two people died as a passenger Boeing crashed while landing in the city of Kazan in central Russia on Saturday, according to the Emergencies Ministry.

               

  The passenger aircraft Boeing 737-500 operated by the regional
  Tatarstan airline exploded after crash-landing in the airport of
  Kazan at 15:25 GMT, according to Interfax. The jet’s nose
  reportedly hit the ground during touchdown. Flight U363 was
  coming from Moscow Domodedovo airport.
 

  Reports of casualties vary. According to a spokeswoman from the
  Emergencies Ministry, 52 people were on board the plane and all
  are feared dead. Another report from the Federal Air Transport
  Agency said that 50 people - including six crew members - were on
  board, all of whom were killed.

  No children were reported to be on board the plane.

  The plane caught on fire after the crash landing in Kazan, the
  capital of the largely-muslim region of Tatarstan. The flames
  were extinguished less than one hour into the disaster, ITAR-TASS
  reported.
 

  So far, rescuers have recovered the bodies of all 50 people from
  the crash site, according to Tatarstan's Disaster Medicine
  Center.
 

  'One of fuel tanks detonated'
 

  An emergency services source told Interfax that the pilots made a
  mistake when entering the second lap, causing the plane to crash.
  However, the source added that there is a possibility that it was
  a technical failure.

  “The plane attempted to land several times. One of the [fuel]
  tanks detonated while the plane was landing,” said
  Emergencies Ministry spokeswoman Irina Rossius.
 

  A witness traveling from Kazan to Moscow, who happened to be on
  the airfield at the moment of the crash, reported hearing a loud
  bang and feeling some trembling. The shuttle bus he was on was
  then diverted back to the terminal. The young man did not report
  any panic and said that he and other passengers were allowed to
  pick up their luggage within about 15 minutes after the crash.
 

  All the forces of the Volga Regional Emergency Center are on high
  alert. The Investigation Committee has launched a probe into
  the crash. A criminal case into the violation of flight rules has
  been initiated. The Interstate Aviation Committee is dispatching
  its experts to look into the accident.
 

  Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to
  form a commission to investigate the cause of the plane crash in
  Kazan, said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

  Boeing 737-500

  The Boeing 737-500 is a make of a popular short- to medium-range
  twin-engine jet airliner, which was introduced in 1987. The
  series is also known as “Classic,” along with the 300 and the 400
  models. The 737-500 can seat from 108 to 132 passengers and has
  two cockpit crew members.

 

 

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