Russian jet ‘crashes’ after Moscow take-off
A Russian airliner carrying 71 passengers and crew has crashed after vanishing from radar screens as it left a Moscow airport for the Urals, media say.
The Saratov Airlines An-148 regional jet was en route to the city of Orsk when it went missing.
An emergency services source has told Interfax news agency the plane crashed and there was “no chance” of survivors.
It reportedly fell near Argunovo, about 80km (50 miles) south-east of Moscow.
According to another news agency, the jet vanished from radar screens two minutes after it left Domodedovo Airport.
Saratov Airlines is based in Saratov, 840km south-east of Moscow.
In 2015 it was banned from operating international flights when surprise inspectors found someone other than the flight crew was in the cockpit.
The airline appealed against the ban and changed its policy before resuming international charter flights in 2016.
It flies mainly between Russian cities but also has destinations in Armenia and Georgia.-BBC
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