MOSCOW (AP) – The Defense Ministry said a Russian military transport plane carrying 15 people crashed Tuesday while taking off from an air base in western Russia.
It was announced that an Il-76 aircraft with eight crew members and seven passengers on board crashed in the Ivanovo region. He did not say whether there were any survivors.
Ivanovo Governor Stanislav Voskresensky expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. There was no damage to the ground.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that an engine fire during takeoff was likely the cause of the crash. The newspaper said an investigative team flew to Ivanovo to investigate.
Russian media broadcast video showing the plane crashing with at least one engine bursting into flames.
A Russian Air Force Il-76 transport plane reportedly suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff from Severny Airfield and crashed in the Ivanovo region north of Moscow. Eight crew members and seven passengers are said to have died in the accident. pic.twitter.com/fdol55gkZA
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 12, 2024
The four-engine Il-76 is a heavy-lift transport aircraft that has been in service with the Soviet Air Force and later the Russian Air Force since the 1970s.
Tuesday’s crash came on a day when the Defense Ministry reported dozens of attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russia. In the past, Ukrainian drones have attacked several military air bases deep in Russia.
Military experts say that as the number of Russian military planes rapidly increases during the fighting in Ukraine, so too does the number of crashes.
Transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners crashes in Belgorod, Russia sayshttps://t.co/Q9iejQID1W
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 24, 2024
