Plane crashes in Russia, kills all on board

All 71 people on board a passenger plane died when it ‘broke up in the sky’ just minutes after taking off from Moscow Airport.

The Antonov An-148, which was operated by Saratov Airlines, came down near the village of Argunovo, 50 miles south-east of the capital on Sunday.

A source from Russia’s emergency services said that the passengers and crew ‘had no chance’ of survival.

Shocked witnesses reportedly said they saw a burning aircraft falling from the sky and wreckage was spread over a large area.

A source told news agency TASS: ‘Debris has been found, there are no survivors.’

A video filmed by local boys showed wreckage in the snow and debris was found spread over a ‘large area’.

One source added: ‘It appears the plane began to fall apart in the sky.’

The Antonov was operated by domestic Saratov Airlines and was flying to Orsk, a city in the Urals.

There were 65 passengers and six crew on the plane.

An emergencies ministry source told Interfax: ‘The plane crashed near the village of Argunovo. The crew and passengers had no chance.

‘The plane vanished from radar minutes after taking off from Domodedovo Airport in Moscow.’ The airport is also used by British Airways.

Initial Russian reports blamed the weather or human error but it was unclear how these squared with claims that the plane broke up in the sky.

Russia has seen record high snowfalls in recent days and visibility was reportedly poor.

The Russian-made plane was seven-years-old at the time of the crash and the airline purchased it one year ago.

Russian media reported that the emergency services were unable to reach the crash site by road and that rescue workers walked to the scene on foot.