11 killed in Russian plane crash

IL-76TAA Russian cargo plane has crashed it crashed immediately after takeoff from Mirnyy Airport (MJZ), Russia, killing all 11 crew members of the Russian Ministry of Interior on board.

The government plane had just unloaded its cargo at Mirnyi airport. It took off and crashed 25 km (15 miles) away, Russian state media reports.

The Ilyushin IL-76 (RF-76801) came down in a deserted area and there were no casualties on the ground, local officials say.

A special commission of the Russian Interior Ministry has left Moscow to investigate the cause of the accident.

“After being unloaded the plane… took off but then deviated from the course and crashed 25 km away from the runway,” an official from the Russian Emergencies Ministry told reporters.

Bodies of the 11 crew members from the interior ministry plane have been recovered from the crash scene, reports say.

Source: BBC