MOSCOW (AFP) - – Three people were killed on Saturday and more than 30 injured when an aircraft burst into flames before take-off on a runway at an airport in Russia's Far North, the Russian prosecutor's office said.
The office's panel investigating the accident said it launched a probe "for violation of security and operational regulations of a Tu-154 aircraft that caused the death of three people" who were being identified.
"More than 30 are in hospitals of the town of Surgut," it said in a statement. Interfax news agency quoted local prosecutors as saying that a child was among the three dead.
A spokesman for the emergencies ministry said at least 46 people were injured.
The Tupolev-154 with 116 passengers and eight crew on board had been due to fly from Surgut in the Far North of Russia's Urals region to Moscow.
Reports said the plane was completely burned in the accident, the latest deadly incident to hit the Russian aviation industry.
The plane had started burning while taxiing on the runway at Surgut ahead of take-off, the investigative committee said in a statement.
"The emergency services were unable to put out the fire and there was an explosion. The passengers and members of the crew were evacuated before the explosion."
Russian news agencies named the airline as regional carrier Kogalymavia, also known as Kolavia.
The first images from the scene showed the wreckage of the plane broken in two and slumped on the runway with a huge cloud of white smoke billowing from an engine.
Initial reports said that one of the plane's engines caught fire in the air and it made an emergency landing but subsequently officials said that the incident had taken place before take-off on the runway.
"There was a thick, black smoke and people started to panic. They were literally stepping on each other's heads," said Sergei Grigoriyev, a singer with popular Russian rock group Na-Na who were on the plane.
"I saw my life flash before me," he said according to ITAR-TASS. People "managed to get out through an emergency exit over a wing".
Transport Minister Igor Levitin said it was not clear what had caused the accident.
"The plane was taxiing on the runway and preparing for take-off," he said according to the Interfax news agency. "The specialists do not understand what sparked the fire."
Earlier this month, a plane with 169 people on board rolled off the runway at Moscow's Domodedovo airport on landing and broke into three pieces, killing two and injuring more than 80.
In September, a Russian Tupolev plane carrying 81 people made a "miracle" crash landing at a deserted air strip deep in the Siberian taiga after a complete mid-flight power failure.
Comments:
Recent cases of airplane bursting into flames have been reported quite often now. The latest case, before this Russian Plane, was the Qantas Airbus 360. It was the very same plane i took just last few months back, and i'm glad that God's hand of protection was on me and i was back safe and sound.
Recent cases of airplane bursting into flames have been reported quite often now. The latest case, before this Russian Plane, was the Qantas Airbus 360. It was the very same plane i took just last few months back, and i'm glad that God's hand of protection was on me and i was back safe and sound.
I think stricter rules should be set so as to prevent such further cases of plane bursting into flames from happening once again as it puts passengers on board an unsound peace of mind whenever they travel overseas. Double-checks are never enough, it should be check umpteen times, when the pilot is confident of flying it without any casualties involved.
My greatest condolences to these three dead passengers, and i pray that this such incident, where the plane bursts into flames, would never have its history repeat itself.
Kelly Lim
102642J
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