A Boeing 737 aircraft operated by Russian carrier Tatarstan Airlines has crashed in the city of Kazan, killing all 50 people on board.
According to initial reports, the jetliner exploded Sunday night about 720km east of Moscow, while attempting to land in western Tatarstan, Russia’s emergency situations ministry said.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement that the Boeing 737 jetliner flew out of Moscow’s Domodedovo airport and crashed onto the runway at Kazan airport during landing, then exploded.
Local news agencies stated that the aircraft made efforts to land three times before crashing.
The plane contained six crew and 44 passengers, which included Irek Minnikhanov, the son of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov.
Investigations are currently in progress to find out whether the accident was caused by a technical failure or a crew error.
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By GlobalDataInvestigative committee official Vladimir Markin said to Rossiya 24 TV: "We are looking at a technical failure, crew error, weather conditions or poor quality fuel."
The crashed aircraft had been operating since 1990, local media reported citing Russian officials.
Russian air safety has become a major issue for the authorities due to a sharp decline in the quality of domestic operations following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Following the latest incident, Kazan airport was closed temporarily.
