Wednesday will be a day of mourning in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region after a passenger plane crash claimed the lives of 11 people. Among the dead are 10 passengers and a flight attendant; three pilots survived.
According to the Emergency Ministry’s representative, the Antonov An-24 airplane was about to land in the city of Igarka, in Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region, when it lost control and hit the ground. It crashed at 21:40 Moscow time, 700 meters from the landing strip at the airport, according to the Emergency Ministry.
After the accident the plane caught fire, which was later extinguished. Bad weather may have been the cause of the accident.
Firefighters and rescue workers are currently working at the scene. An investigation is underway.
Due to the accident, the region’s governor, Lev Kuznetsov, had to cut short his vacation and is returning to Krasnoyarsk. He said that the victims’ families will receive $66,000 each as compensation for the tragedy.
A criminal case has been opened into the violation of safety rules and negligence leading to the deaths of two or more people.