31 killed in Siberian plane crash

A Russian passenger plane crashed and burst into flames today shortly after taking off from the Siberian city of Tyumen, killing at least 31 of the 43 people on board.

Thirteen survivors were pulled from the wreckage and taken to hospital by helicopter but one later died. At least five were in a critical condition.

The airline, UTair, said the plane, which was en route to the city of Surgut, had been trying to make an emergency landing when it came down a mile from the airport. It broke into two parts as it crashed in snow.

Yuri Alekhin, of the Emergencies Ministry, said: “There are no explanations yet. Contact was lost with the plane just over three minutes after take-off.”

The plane was a French-Italian twin engine ATR-72. It was one of three operated by UTair. The “black box” flight recorder has been found.

President Dmitry Medvedev has called for a cut in the number of Russian airlines and better crew training to improve the country’s air safety.

Gunther Matschnigg, of the International Air Transport Association, said Russian pilots and ground crew were struggling to adapt to a growing number of a sophisticated aircraft.