Live
Audio Only
All 39 passengers aboard an IL-18 aircraft that was forced to emergency land in the Russian republic of Sakha have survived, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed, adding that 16 people were nevertheless injured.
RELATED:
Bolivian Airline Boss Arrested over Chapecoense Plane Crash
“All passengers and crew members are alive. Sixteen individuals sustained severe injuries. Search-and-rescue helicopters have evacuated 23 people to regional health centers of Tiksi (settlement)," a ministry spokesperson said.
Some of the severely wounded people have been taken to federal hospitals, local health officials told TASS news agency.
The plane reportedly belonged to the Russian Aerospace Forces and carried many officers. Thirty-two were passengers and seven were crew members. It crashed about 35 kilometers from Tiksi, on the shores of the Sea of Láptev and one of the most northern urban centers of the country.
Reports state that the Ministry of Defense has also sent planes to Tiksi that would then evacuate the wounded to ministry hospitals in Moscow and Saint Petersburg for additional treatment.
So far, it appears the plane broke off into three parts as it crash-landed – though it did not catch fire.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry's press service, the flight recorders have been recovered.
Preliminary findings show that the crash-landing was caused by bad weather – specifically, severe gusting side wind. A commission for the Russian military will provide more details about the accident after it examines the tapes more closely, though some unconfirmed sources have suggested human error may have also been at play.
The Ilyushin IL-18 is a four-engine commercial turboprop aircraft designed in the Soviet Union in the 1950s.
Newsletter
