Russian Airplane Crashes Near Arctic Port, Killing at Least 28
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A Russian airplane crowded with oil workers crashed and caught fire on Wednesday afternoon near an Arctic port, killing at least 28 people, Russian officials and the Lukoil oil company said. Twenty-four people survived, although many were gravely injured, and officials feared the death toll would rise. Officials said the plane, an Antonov-24 with at least 45 passengers and a crew of 7, struck a low hill about three miles from the runway near the airport in Varandey, more than 1,100 miles northeast of Moscow on the Arctic coast facing the Barents Sea. It burst into flames immediately. A spokeswoman for the regional prosecutor’s office said a criminal investigation had begun, as is normal after aviation accidents here. She said there were no signs of foul play. Lukoil, in a statement, said the plane had been carrying oil field workers and subcontractors to the Varandey terminal, which the oil giant has been upgrading as part of plans for shipping crude oil. The Antonov-24 is a twin-engine turboprop plane used for short and medium routes. It typically carries 45 to 50 passengers, in addition to a crew. The Antonov-24 was designed in the late 1950’s and was produced by the Soviet Union until the 1970’s, but fleets remain in service in Russia, as well among Moscow’s former trading partners and nations in the former Soviet sphere. The plane struck the hill in daylight and visibility was normal, said Andrei Y. Izhemtsev of the local administration for civil defense and emergency situations. Unconfirmed reports said the plane’s tail was damaged or falling apart before the crash. An investigation has begun. The Interfax news agency reported that the authorities were considering three possible causes: a technical problem, wind and what the report said might have been the crew’s lack of familiarity with the location. Six of the seven crewmembers, including the pilots, died in the crash, Mr. Izhemtsev said. The plane, owned and operated by Regional Airlines, which is privately owned, had been en route from Ufa, a Siberian city, stopping at Perm and Usinsk along the route. Source : query.nytimes.com |