Updated at 11:40 a.m. ET

A Saratov Airlines plane crashed about 25 miles from Moscow where it took off, evidently killing everyone on board, said Russia's Transport Minister.

The plane disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff from Domodedovo Airport at 2:21 p.m. local time, en route to the Russian city of Orsk located about 1,000 miles southeast, reports the TASS news agency.

There were 65 passengers and six crew members on board, says TASS.

A State Department official said none was an American citizen.

Mixim Sololov, the transport minister, said, "judging by everything, no one has survived this crash."

Investigators are still looking into the cause. It happened while temperatures were around 20 degrees Fahrenheit with scattered snowfall.

Fragments of the Antonov AN-148 regional jet were found near the village of Stepanovskoye, a spokesman with Russia's Emergencies Ministry told TASS.

Russian state TV channel Rossiya-24 broadcast images of plane parts in a snowy field.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the victims and said all necessary emergency assistance was being made available.

President Vladimir Putin also offered his condolences to the loved ones of those killed. He postponed a planned trip to Sochi to closely monitor the investigation, reports The Associated Press.

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

300x250 Ad

300x250 Ad

Support quality journalism, like the story above, with your gift right now.

Donate