Russian Plane Crashes, 39 Onboard

• Russian Plane Crashes, 39 Onboard

A Russian plane, Il-18 aircraft with 32 passengers and seven crew members onboard, has crashed in the Bulunsky district of Siberia’s Yakutia, TASS news agency has reported.

“The Il-18 plane, which flew from the Koltsovo airport in Yekaterinburg, on Monday, December 19, crashed 27 kilometers from the Tiksi village,” the source said.

An evacuation of the victims is ongoing, TASS said. The agency did not report any death.

Seven survivors in the emergency landing of the Il-18 plane in Yakutia have been taken to a hospital in the Tiksi village, a local law enforcement source told TASS on Monday.

“The survivors in the plane’s crash that occurred at 12:07 local time some 27 km from the Tiksi village have been taken to a regional hospital of the village,” the source said.

Seven crew members and 32 passengers – a rotating team of officers – were onboard the plane.

Yakutia’s government has confirmed the crash. An emergency situations commission is holding a meeting.

In a further post, TASS  reported that Russia’s Defense Ministry’s search and rescue helicopters have delivered to a hospital 32 military servicemen injured in the crash.

“The Defense Ministry’s search and rescue helicopters have delivered 32 military servicemen to a hospital in Tiksi, 16 of them are in critical condition. All the injured are being given necessary medical care,” the statement reads.

The press service added that a special helicopter of the Defense Ministry had been sent to Tiksi to airlift the injured. The helicopter is equipped with medical support modules and carries Moscow’s Burdenko military hospital doctors on board.