At least 16 people have been killed and seven injured after a Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft crashed in Russia’s Tatarstan region. The flight, which had 23 people on board, crashed at about 9:11 am (Moscow time) in the city of Menzelinsk, the RIA news agency cited the emergency services as saying.
Reportedly, the plane had been carrying a group of parachute jumpers on board, the Emergencies Ministry said, according to the TASS news agency. Seven people were pulled alive from the wreckage, it said.
According to a report by state-affiliated Russian news agency TASS, seven people have been rescued so far.
“Seven people were rescued, 16 people were taken out without signs of life,” AFP quoted Russia’s emergency ministry as saying on its Telegram channel.
Also read: World Mental Health Day 2021: Know Why World Mental Health Day is Celebrated
“Four more people have been rescued by fire and rescue teams, work continues. Overall, seven people have been rescued,” TASS news agency quoted a source as saying.
“This information has not been confirmed, access to the plane’s half-ruined fuselage is impeded,” the source added.
Russian aviation safety standards have improved in recent years but accidents, especially involving ageing planes in far-flung regions, are not uncommon.
Earlier last month, an ageing Antonov An-26 transport plane crashed in the Russian far east killing six people. All 28 people on board an Antonov An-26 twin-engine turboprop died in a crash in Kamchatka in July.
(With inputs from agencies)
