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Plane crash kills 61 in Russian city of Rostov-on-Don FlyDubai plane crash kills 61 in Russian city of Rostov-on-Don
(35 minutes later)
A Boeing-737 passenger jet operated by the low-cost airline, FlyDubai, has crashed on landing in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, in the south of the country.A Boeing-737 passenger jet operated by the low-cost airline, FlyDubai, has crashed on landing in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, in the south of the country.
All sixty-one people on board were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames on Saturday morning, a local official said.All sixty-one people on board were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames on Saturday morning, a local official said.
“A Boeing 737 crashed as it was coming into land. There were 61 people on board. They are all dead,” said a spokesman from the local ministry, quoted by the official TASS news agency.“A Boeing 737 crashed as it was coming into land. There were 61 people on board. They are all dead,” said a spokesman from the local ministry, quoted by the official TASS news agency.
There were 55 passengers and six crew members on the plane, the official added.There were 55 passengers and six crew members on the plane, the official added.
The accident happened at 0050 GMT, according to an official statement from the emergencies ministry.The accident happened at 0050 GMT, according to an official statement from the emergencies ministry.
“The Boeing 737 on the Dubai to Rostov-on-Don route caught fire (after crashing),” said the statement, adding that the fire was brought under control by 0200 GMT.“The Boeing 737 on the Dubai to Rostov-on-Don route caught fire (after crashing),” said the statement, adding that the fire was brought under control by 0200 GMT.
Emirates-based Flydubai said it was aware of an “incident” involving one of its planes, but did not give any further details. Emirates-based FlyDubai confirmed that flight FZ981 had crashed on landing. It said the plane had taken off from Dubai international airport at 18:20GMT, bound for Rostov-on-Don.
“We are aware of an incident involving our flight FZ981 from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don. We are investigating further details and will publish an update once more information is available,” the airline said in a post on its Facebook page. “We are doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible. At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with our passengers and our crew who were on board the aircraft,” it said on the airline’s Facebook page.
It said it would do everything it can to help those who have been affected by this accident.
“We are putting our emergency response in place and we will be working closely with all the authorities involved. We will share as much information as possible just as soon as we can and we will provide updated information on a regular basis,” the Facebook post said.
State news agency Tass reported that the government’s leading investigative committee said preliminary information indicated the plane was landing when it hit the ground and broke into pieces at the airport about 950km (600 miles) south of Moscow.State news agency Tass reported that the government’s leading investigative committee said preliminary information indicated the plane was landing when it hit the ground and broke into pieces at the airport about 950km (600 miles) south of Moscow.
Footage shown on local media showed a huge fireball erupting from the crash site.Footage shown on local media showed a huge fireball erupting from the crash site.
There was no immediate information on the cause, although some news reports suggested weather could have been a factor. Tass said weather data from the area indicated that winds were anywhere from 14 to 22 metres per second (30-50 mph) at the time of the crash and that there was light rain.There was no immediate information on the cause, although some news reports suggested weather could have been a factor. Tass said weather data from the area indicated that winds were anywhere from 14 to 22 metres per second (30-50 mph) at the time of the crash and that there was light rain.
Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, told Associated Press that the plane initially tried to land at Rostov-on-Don then entered a holding pattern and tried to land again before contact was lost.Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, told Associated Press that the plane initially tried to land at Rostov-on-Don then entered a holding pattern and tried to land again before contact was lost.
On 31 October a Russian airliner blew up in the air over Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. Investigators determined it was destroyed by a bomb onboard.On 31 October a Russian airliner blew up in the air over Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. Investigators determined it was destroyed by a bomb onboard.
Russian news reports said most of those aboard were Russian tourists but there were unspecified foreign passengers as well.Russian news reports said most of those aboard were Russian tourists but there were unspecified foreign passengers as well.