All 39 aboard military plane alive after crash-landing in Yakutia, Russia

The Russian Defense Ministry has said that all passengers and crew members survived the crash-landing of the IL-18 plane, and 16 people were injured, as cited by Interfax.


Previous reports put the number of survivors at at least five.

The 38 people who were wounded in the crash-landing have been taken to the hospital in Tiksi, and a few of them who are severely wounded will be sent to federal hospitals, local health officials told TASS.

The flight recorders from the IL-18 have been recovered, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry said, as cited by TASS.

“According to the report from the scene, the plane crash landed today at 4:45 [local time] 30 kilometers from Tiksi Airport. The aircraft was carrying out a scheduled flight from Kansk Airfield,” the ministry added.

The crash-landing was caused by a severe gusting side wind, according to preliminary data provided by local authorities and cited by RIA Novosti news agency.

A defense ministry commission has left for Yakutia to gather further details about the crash-landing of IL-18, the ministry has said.

The IL-18 plane made its first flight in 1957, and became one of the best known and most durable Soviet aircraft of its era. It has been one of the world’s principal airliners for several decades and was widely exported due to its durability, with many planes reaching 45,000 flight hours and remaining in use, mostly in the military.
 [rt.com]
19/12/16