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February 13, 2018

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Snow hampers Russia plane search

Rescuers yesterday searched through deep snow for body parts and debris after a Russian passenger plane crashed near Moscow minutes after takeoff, killing all 71 people on board, in the country’s deadliest air crash since 2016.

The Antonov An-148 plane went down in a snow-covered field, making it difficult to access, with emergency workers forced to reach the wreckage by foot or on snowmobiles.

The accident happened in Ramensky district around 70 kilometers southeast of Moscow on Sunday at 2:28pm after the plane departed from Domodedovo airport outside the Russian capital.

Sixty-five passengers and six crew members were on board and all of them died, Russia’s Investigative Committee said.

The flight was operated by the domestic Saratov Airlines and was headed for the city of Orsk in the Orenburg region close to Russia’s border with Kazakhstan.

Yesterday, rescuers in dark uniforms trudged across the site in formation, using shovels to shift snow around 40 centimeters deep, a video journalist saw.

The Investigative Committee, which takes charge of major incidents and is probing the crash of the 8-year-old plane, said that the aircraft caught fire on the ground after crashing.

“At the moment of falling, the aeroplane was intact, without a fire. An explosion took place after the plane crashed,” it said, adding that it is looking into factors, including the pilots’ training and the plane’s technical state.

A Swiss citizen and a citizen of Azerbaijan were among the dead listed by the emergency services ministry. A Kazakh citizen may also have died, transport minister Maxim Sokolov said.

Three victims were children.

The victims’ remains were so damaged that genetic testing is required, investigators said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences and “is constantly receiving information” about the crash, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Putin — who is running for re-election in a March 18 poll — cancelled plans to travel to the Black Sea resort of Sochi to meet Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas yesterday. Instead, the meeting was to take place in Moscow.

With wreckage of the plane spread over more than 30 hectares, it will take a week to inspect the whole area, the emergency services ministry said.

“We plan to carry out the main stage of the search operation in seven days because the plane debris is scattered over a very large area,” emergency services minister Vladimir Puchkov said, quoted by Interfax news agency.

He added that “heavy snow” and difficult terrain hampered searchers.

By noon yesterday, 8 hectares had been examined, turning up numerous body fragments and plane debris, TASS news agency said, citing the rescue team.

Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told a Cabinet meeting that emergency teams have found both flight data and cockpit conversation recorders, which are crucial for determining the crash’s cause.

The 65 passengers ranged in age from 5 to 79, according to a list posted by the Russian Emergencies Ministry. Most victims were from Orsk, where the authorities declared an official day of mourning yesterday.

The plane was operated by Saratov Airlines, which said the plane had received proper maintenance and passed all the necessary checks before the flight.




 

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