Transport plane crash in Russia's Far East kills 11

[News_Editor]

Transport plane crash in Russia's Far East kills 11

2011-08-09 19:29:38 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 11 people died after a Russian cargo plane crashed on Tuesday, officials said.

An Antonov-12 transport plane was en route from Magadan to Chukotka in Russia's Far East, carrying nine crew members, two passengers, and 16 metric tons of food, state-run RIA Novosti reported.

At 7:34 a.m. local time, the four-engine aircraft disappeared from radar screens, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) from its take off point, moments after it had reported a fire in one of its engine due to a fuel leakage.

The federal aviation agency deployed helicopter and search and rescue teams, but it struggled with the thick fog in the area of the crash. The aircraft was later found near a gold and silver mine in the Omsukcha district of Russia's Magadan region.

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