Russian airline crashes on take off

A Russian Il-86 airliner crashed today while taking off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, the Interfax news agency said.

The aircraft belonged to the Pulkovsky airlines, which flies between Moscow and St Petersburg, Interfax said.

It said the plane crashed while taking off from Sheremetyevo-1, the domestic air terminal, the report said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

"At this moment, the plane is on fire," Interfax said. It said there were 12 crew members on board, but no passengers.

Interfax said the plane was on a technical flight from Moscow to St Petersburg.