Russia plane crash updates: Officials confirm death of 71 people on board Saratov Airline 6W 703

Officials confirm the death of 71 people onboard 6W 703

Footage of remnants of Flight 6W 703

Plane heading to Orsk near border crashed near Argunovo

Saratov Airlines flight 6W703 was heading to Orsk, a city near Russia’s border with Kazakhstan and crashed near the town of Argunovo, about 50 miles south-east of Moscow. Wreckage from the plane was reported to be spread over a large area, The Guardian reported.

Russian website says pilot had reported technical fault

According to The Guardian , Russia’s gazeta.ru website cited investigators saying the pilot had reported a technical malfunction on board the plane and asked for clearance for an emergency landing at the nearby Zhukovsky International Airport. However, officials are yet to confirm this.

Rescuers say there are bodies ’everywhere’

One witness told The Sun there was an “explosion” while the plane was still in the air. Images on the internet show parts of the plane lying in a snowy field as rescuers described seeing bodies “everywhere”. The explosion led to “windows trembling”, the witness said. Local sources also said that investigator were looking into whether one of the engines on the An-148 had exploded just 10 minutes after take-off.

Seven-year-old Saratov Airlines flight was an Antonov An-148 aircraft with registration number RA-61704

Russia’s Investigative Committee to consider all possible causes

The governor of the Orenburg region, where the plane was flying to, told Russian media that “more than 60 people” onboard the plane were from the region. Russia’s Investigative Committee will consider all possible causes for the crash, RIA Novosti news agency reported. A source from Russia’s emergency services told Interfax that the 71 people on board “had no chance” of survival. – AFP

The speed and altitude graph shows a descent from 6,200 feet to 3,200 feet before losing signal

Here’s the route usually taken by flight 6W 703

Ill-fated plane was seven-years-old

The Russian-made plane was 7 years-old and bought by Saratov Airlines from another Russian airline a year ago.- AFP

Local witnesses had seen flight fall

It began descending at 3,300 feet per minute soon after starting its journey, Flightradar24, an air traffic website, posted on Twitter. Witnesses in the village told local media they had seen the plane on fire falling from the sky. Russian state news agency Tass said the authorities had confirmed that fragments of the crashed airliner had been found, The Independent reported.

Russian transport minister on his way to site as prosecutors begin probe

Prosecutors opened an investigation into Saratov Airlines following the crash. The Russian transport minister was on his way to the crash site, agencies reported. The transport ministry said several causes for the crash are being considered, including weather conditions and human error.

Russia has seen several crashes in recent times

Plane crashes are common in Russia, where airlines often operate old aircraft in testing flying conditions. A light aircraft crashed in November in Russia’s far east, killing six people on board. In December 2016 a military plane carrying Russia’s famed Red Army Choir crashed after taking off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi, killing all 92 people on board. In March 2016, all 62 passengers died when a FlyDubai jet crashed in bad weather during an aborted landing at Rostov-on-Don airport. – AFP

Radio contact with Saratov Airlines plane was lost several minutes after take-off

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry confirmed the crash of the An-148 plane shortly after it took off from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. “Fragments of the An-148 and several bodies have been found near the village of Stepanovskoye,” a ministry spokesman told Tass. Radio contact with the Saratov Airlines plane was lost several minutes after the take-off, the Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) said.- IANS

Rescue workers walk to the site because of heavy snow

State television aired a video of the crash site, showing parts of the wreckage in the snow. Russia has seen record high snowfalls in recent days and visibility was reportedly poor.  Russian media reported that the emergency services were unable to reach the crash site by road and that rescue workers walked to the scene. Emergency services said in a statement that over 150 rescue workers were deployed to the site. – AFP

Vladimir Putin offers his condolences to families

President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the families of those on board. “The president offers his profound condolences to those who lost their relatives in the crash,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.  – AFP

Saratov Airlines was banned from operating international flights in 2015

Saratov Airlines was banned from operating international flights in 2015 when inspectors found someone other than flight crew in cockpit. Resumed international charter flights in 2016 after policy changes. Mainly domestic flights, also to Armenia & Georgia.- BBC

Russia plane crashes near Moscow, 71 feared dead