Aircraft carrying 71 people crashes near Moscow; no survivors

The Antonov AN-148 operated by Saratov Airlines had disappeared from radars shortly after taking off from Domodedovo Airport in Moscow, Russia. The flight departed at 14.21 Local time bound for the Russian city of Orsk, the plane is scheduled to arrive at 6.30pm Local time

An emergency services source told Tass news agency there are no survivors.

The Emergencies Ministry said it had sent crews to the crash site, in Stepanovskoye.

It is also reported that the crash may have been caused by a collision with a helicopter.

Russian media reports the crews could not get to the site by vehicle and had to go by foot. Fragments of the plane have been found around 25 miles (40KM) from the airport in Moscow, in the area called Ramenskoye.

The plane was carrying 65 passengers on board along with 6 crew members, which adds up to a total of 71 souls on board the aircraft.

In a tweet, showing two emergency vehicles, the ministry explained the recovery process would involve 150 people and 20 vehicles.

The plane itself was 7 years old and was bought by the airline one year ago.

Witnesses also told Interfax they saw the plane on fire in mid-air before it crashed into the ground.

The Russian transport minister was on his way to the crash site, agencies reported. Prosecutors opened an investigation into Saratov Airlines following the crash.