PLANE DISASTER Russian Saratov Airlines plane crashes ‘killing all 71 on board’ after disappearing off radar’ near Moscow

A RUSSIAN plane has crashed killing all 71 people on board after disappearing off the radar near Moscow, according to reports.

The Saratov Airlines jet crashed in the Moscow region today, killing all passengers and crew on board, Russian news agency Interfax said, citing an emergency services source.

The Saratov Airlines An-148 has crashed after taking off from Moscow, emergency services sources say

Emergency services are investigating after the An-148 aircraft was reported missing shortly after leaving Domodedovo International Airport.

There were 65 passengers and 6 crew members onboard the plane, RIA reported.

The source told Interfax: "The plane crashed and there was no chance anyone could have survived."

The jet had come down near the village of Argunovo, about 80km (50 miles) south-east of Moscow, the source added.

Flight 6W703 dissapeared off the radar shortly after take off

Domodedovo International Airport, where the plane took off

Witnesses also told Interfax they saw the plane on fire in mid-air before it crashed into the ground.

Another source told the agency

It is understood that the plane disappeared off the radar just two minutes after taking off.

The same news agency reported that the wreckage of the plane was spread over a wide area around the crash site.

The Russian-made plane was 7 years-old and bought by Saratov Airlines from another Russian airline a year ago.

Russian media reported that the emergency services were unable to reach the crash site by road and that rescue workers walked to the scene on foot.

A source at Domodedovo, Moscow's second largest airport, told agencies that the plane disappeared from radars within two minutes of take off.

The Russian transport minister was on his way to the crash site, agencies reported. The transport ministry said several causes for the crash are being considered, including weather conditions and human error.

The governor of the Orenburg region, where the plane was flying to, told Russian media that "more than 60 people" onboard the plane were from the region.
Prosecutors opened an investigation into Saratov Airlines following the crash.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry said it is verifying reports that the An-148 has crashed outside Moscow.