150 feared dead in Russian plane crash

A Russian passenger plane crashed on landing in the Siberian city of Irkutsk early today, killing around 150 passengers, Russian news agencies reported. Officials confirmed they have recovered 65 bodies.

The plane, on a flight from Moscow to Irkutsk, veered off the runway as it was landing at about 7.50am local time (10.50pm yesterday Irish time), hit a concrete barrier and burst into flames, Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said.

Russian news reports said that many children were among the passengers. They were travelling on vacation on Lake Baikal, which is near Irkutsk, the ITAR-Tass news agency said.

Rescue workers who were sifting through the wreckage of the aircraft so far had found 65 bodies, said another Ministry spokeswoman, Natalya Lukash.

Russian television pictures showed the wreckage of the aircraft , which crashed into a one-story structure on the airport perimeter, with a plume of smoke pouring from it. Firefighters in protective gear and helmets clambered on top.

Lukash said that 55 people were injured in the crash. Most of the other passengers were feared dead, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

The Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies reported that around 150 people had died, quoting a preliminary toll from the regional prosecutor’s office and transport ministry.

The Sibir Airbus A-310 was carrying a crew of eight and 192 passengers.

“The aircraft veered off the runway on landing. It was travelling at a terrific speed,” Andrionova said.

The plane hit a concrete barrier, collapsing the front section of the aircraft, she said. It then burst into flames.

It took five emergency services more than two hours to extinguish the flames, Andrianova said.

The Emergency Situations Ministry said there was no information yet about the likely cause of the crash.

Relatives of the passengers onboard the flight to Irkutsk were expected later today to arrive at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, from where it took off.

In May, another Airbus aircraft crashed in stormy weather off Russia’s Black Sea coast while readying to land, killing all 113 people on board.

Airline officials said they believed the crash of the Armenian passenger plane was due to driving rain and low visibility.

Among other deadly crashes in Russia in recent years, in July 2001 a Tu-154 Russian passenger plane crashed and burst into flames in Siberia, killing all 143 people on board.

In March, 1994, a half-empty Airbus A-310 belonging to Russian state airline Aeroflot crashed near the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk, killing 70 people. Investigators said crash was caused mainly by the pilot’s teenage son inadvertently disconnecting the autopilot.