Russia: Nine people killed after cargo plane crashes near Irkutsk in eastern Siberia

A Belarusian cargo plane that crashed on Wednesday while attempting to land near the Russian city of Irkutsk, has killed nine people on board, a spokesperson for the Transport Prosecutor's Office informed Sputnik on Thursday. The Soviet-built An-12 cargo jet, which is operated by the Belarussian firm Grodno Avia crashed and caught fire near Irkutsk in eastern Siberia, AP reported. 

As per the ANI news agency, originally it was reported that there were seven individuals on board which include three Belarusians, two Russians, and two Ukrainians. The spokesperson further revealed that seven crew members along with two passengers were travelling on board. Six dead bodies and four fragmented body parts were discovered at the location, the spokesperson added. 

Governor of the Irkutsk talks about the victims of cargo plane crash over Siberia

Igor Kobzev, the Governor of the Irkutsk area, informed the media that the CEO of Zapolyarye Airlines, Yury Volodin as well as the company's Deputy CEO, Oleg Vishnev, were on board when it crashed. A detailed investigation has been initiated following the occurrence. 

According to Russian press sources, the plane crashed when it was trying to land for the second time after failing to land the first time. The reason for the accident was not immediately determined, AP reported. The plane took off from Bilibino in Russia's northeastern Chukotka area and stopped in Yakutsk before going on to Irkutsk, as per AP.  

During the period of 1950s, the An-12 was built as a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft. Hundreds of them have been constructed, and many of them are still in use in Russia, other former Soviet republics, as well as other countries throughout the world. 

Other plane crashes in Russia

Meanwhile, on October 10, an aircraft containing skydivers crashed in central Russia shortly after the plane takeoff, which took the lives of 15 individuals of the 22 passengers on board. The L-410, a twin-engine turboprop built in the Czech Republic, collapsed in Menzelinsk, some 960 kilometres east of Moscow, AP reported. According to the Ministry of Emergencies, seven persons were rescued alive from the aircraft debris.

Furthermore, at the beginning of July, a plane carrying 28 passengers crashed in Russia's far East, presumably as it was pulling in for a landing in terrible weather. According to authorities, debris from the An-26 aircraft was discovered on a coastal cliffside and in the water near the airfield in Palana.  

According to officials from the Kamchatka area, the jet was on its way to land amid mist and clouds when it missed a routine transmission and vanished from radar, AP reported. Neither of the six crew members along with the 22 passengers aboard survived the crash, as per the Russian media sources. 

(Image: AP)