Plane crash kills 16 in Russia

The plane crashed over the town of Menzelinsk, east of the Russian republic of Tartarstan. In it were 21 paratroopers and two crew members.

Sixteen people were killed Sunday in the crash of a plane carrying civilian paratroopers in central Russia, which was split in two by the impact.

The drama occurred at 09:23 (06:23 GMT) near the city of Menzelinsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan (Volga).

The aircraft, made in the Czech Republic and type L-410, crashed about twenty minutes after takeoff, according to local authorities, who say the crew detected an engine failure.

"Six people were rescued, 16 showed no signs of life," the Russian Emergency Situations ministry reported on the Telegram messaging application.

The device belonged to a local club of the paramilitary organization DOSAAF, the benevolent aid society for the army, aviation and navy, according to the Russian press agency Interfax.

DOSAAF is the heir to the Military and Scientific Society created in 1920 by the USSR to popularize military knowledge among the Soviets, especially in the aerospace field, and reinforce patriotic values.

Those who underwent training at DOSAAF aerodromes include the first man to travel into space, Yuri Gagarin, and the first cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova.

Today the society's flying clubs across the country, such as the one in Menzelinsk, are still used for the training of cosmonauts.

"There was no reproach to make to the Menzelinsk flying club, we are the best (...), the cosmonauts train here," said the head of the local DOSAAF branch, Ravil Nurmekhametov, quoted by the official TASS agency.

Engine failure

The plane was split in two by the impact, according to images released by the Emergency Situations ministry.

They only survived the six paratroopers who sat in the back and wore helmetsthe instructor of the local aerospace club, Oleg Chiporov, told the TASS agency.

"One skydiver just had bruises and got off the plane on his own," Chiporov said.

All the survivors were hospitalized and one is "in serious condition", according to the RIA Novosti agency, citing a source from the local Health Ministry.

The accident was caused by an engine breakdown, said the leader of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, who went to the scene.

"When they were at an altitude of 70 meters, the pilots reported that an engine on the left had stopped working and requested an emergency landing," he said on the public channel Rossia 24.

According to Minnikhanov, the crew tried to move away from nearby towns for landing, "But apparently the altitude did not allow it".

One of the plane's wings landed on a truck and caused it to overturn, he said.

An investigation has been opened for violation of the safety and operating rules of air transport, according to the Russian investigation committee.

Russia has significantly improved aviation safety since the 2000s, but accidents are still common, especially in sparsely populated areas like the Far East.

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