Russian plane crash leaves four dead

Four people were killed when a passenger plane careered off the runway at Russia’s third-busiest airport, broke into pieces and caught fire.

Emergency officials later confirmed another four were left badly injured in the accident at Vnukovo Airport.

Eight people were on board at the time as the Tu-204 Red Wings plane was flying back to its home at Vnukovo from the Czech Republic without passengers.

State TV news channel Vesti showed photos of the plane’s wreckage, with the cockpit clearly sheared off from the fuselage and a large chunk gashed out near the tail.

The crash occurred amid light snow, but it was not clear whether the plane was attempting to land or take off at the time.

Prior to the crash, there had been no fatal accidents reported for Tu-204s, which entered commercial service in 1995. The plane is a twin-engine mid-range jet with a capacity of about 210 passengers.

Vnukovo, on the southern outskirts of Moscow, is one of the Russian capital’s three international airports. The airport was closed after the crash and flights were re-routed to Moscow’s other airports, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo.