(RepublicanDaily.org) – A Russian supply plane has crashed, with its eight crew members and seven passengers all suspected to have perished in the incident.
A video of the crash has been circulating online, but has yet to be verified as of press time. The footage shows the plane, an Il-76 aircraft, leaving a trail of black smoke as it quickly descends to the ground. One of the plane’s engines also appeared to be engulfed in flames. Another video shows what appears to be the site of the crash, with smoke rising from behind a tree line in the area where the plane reportedly went down. The footage also showed a helicopter that appears to be circling the site.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the crash, and attributed the incident to an engine fire that occurred during takeoff. The plane crashed in the region of Ivanovo in Russia, which lies roughly 435 miles away from the country’s border with Ukraine. No details have been released as to the destination of the plane, what cargo it contained, or the purpose of the flight. The TASS news agency, which is managed by the Russian government, only indicated that the military supply plane “crashed during takeoff for a scheduled flight.” The pilot of the aircraft reportedly attempted to return to the airfield after the plane’s engine caught fire, but was unable to make it back.
No final list or number of casualties have been released as of press time – Russian authorities are still investigating the incident. However, Stanislav Voskresensky, the governor of Ivanovo, has already offered condolences to the families of the victims.
The incident is the second time a Russian Il-76 military transport plane has crashed in recent months. In January this year, another Il-76 crashed, but Russia maintains that the plane, which the Russian government says was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, was shot down my Ukrainian forces.
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