Moscow - A small passenger plane skidded off a runway in eastern Siberia on Thursday, killing two crew members and injuring dozens of passengers.
The An-24 plane, carrying 43 passengers, experienced an engine failure and crash-landed in the town of Nizhneangarsk on Thursday morning, Russia's top investigation body, the Investigative Committee, said in a statement. The jet crashed into a building and caught fire. Footage from the scene showed the plane lying on its belly with the nose broken off.
Officials said that two crew members survived, while a pilot with 34 years of experience and a flight mechanic died on the spot. The Buryatia governor had previously said both pilots had died.
More than 30 people have been injured, and nine were taken to hospitals with severe burns and other injuries, said Alexei Fishev, spokesman for the local governor.
A plane burns after it crashed during landing in Nizhneangarsk, south-east Russia. According to the Russian Emergency Ministry two people died in the incident, with more than 40 rescued. Picture: Vladimir Dozmorov/AP
A man walks past a burning An-24 plane a fire after a crash during a landing in Nizhneangarsk, Republic of Buryatia, Russia. Picture: Vladimir Dozmorov/AP
Investigators launched a probe into breach of safety procedures onboard An-24, which is a mainstay of the Russian aviation, and said that it was too early to identify the cause of the deadly crash-landing.
