Moscow, February 11: A Russian jet carrying 71 passengers including crew has reportedly crashed after vanishing from radar screens as it left a Moscow airport for the Urals, BBC media reported. All 71 people onboard were killed in the crash, news agency AFP reported.
There were 65 passengers and six crew members onboard the plane.
The Saratov Airlines AN-148 regional jet was en route to the city of Orsk when it went of the radar.
A source working for an international emergency service told news agency Interfax that the plane had crashed and that there was “no chance” of survivors.
A report said that the plane fell near Argunovo, about 88 km of south-east of Moscow.
According to another news agency, the jet vanished from the radar screens for two minutes after it left Domodedovo Airport.
An eyewitness in the village of Argunovo saw a burning plane falling from the sky. A report said that the wreckage of the plane was spread over a wide area around the crash site.
The Russian-made plane was 7-years-old and was bought a year ago by Saratov Airlines from another Russian airline.
Russian media reported that the emergency services were unable to reach at the spot by road and the rescue workers walked all the way to the crash site on foot.
The Russian transport minister was on his way to the crash site, news agency reported.
The Ministry also issued a statement saying that several causes for the crash are being considered, including human errors and weather conditions.
The governor of Orenburg region, where the plane was flying told Russian media that “more than 60 people” were onboard.
Following the crash, prosecutors opened an investigation into Saratov Airlines.