Russian military aircraft carrying 39 passengers crashes; 16 seriously injured, say reports

An Ilyushin-18 military aircraft carrying 39 people on board, including seven crew members, reportedly crashed in Russia’s Far East on Monday, the BBC reported. The weather conditions were bad when the aircraft had to reportedly make an emergency landing, the report noted. However, Russia Today, said all the passengers survived the crash, while 16 sustained serious injuries. At least 20 of them needed to be hospitalised. “They have been evacuated to the hospitals in Tiksi by search and rescue helicopters.According to the report from the scene, the plane crash landed today at 4:45 local time, 30 kilometers from Tiksi Airport,” the Defence Ministry statement said. A source in the defence ministry told Interfax that the plane had not given a distress signal and that the flight took place in harsh weather conditions that could have led to icing of the plane. According to Sputnik News, the site of the plane crash has been identified and three Mi-8 helicopters have been dispatched to the site. More details as they emerge   With inputs from AFP