44 passengers die in plane crash
Forty-four people have been killed and eight injured in a plane crash in north-western Russia.
The aircraft came down on a motorway close to Petrozavodsk airport in the republic of Karelia, close to the Finnish border, and burst into flames.
The Russian-built Tupolev Tu-134 operated by RusAir was carrying 43 passengers and nine crew. Some of the survivors, including a 10-year-old boy, are said to be in critical condition in hospital.
Russian media are reporting that among those killed were a Swedish national and a Russian Premier League football referee.
The plane came down late at night while flying in thick fog from the capital, Moscow, to Petrozavodsk. It just missed houses built close to the motorway.
There was no immediate explanation for the crash, but the airport's director is reported to have said that there had been "unfavourable weather conditions". The crash site is less than a mile from the airport runway, whose fog-lights had failed.
The plane's flight recorders have reportedly been recovered.
Prosecutors say a criminal investigation into the possible neglect of air transport rules is under way.
RusAir is a privately-owned, Moscow-based airline that specialises in charter flights in western Russia and eastern Europe.
The crash happened on the eve of Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin's planned appearance at the Paris Air Show today to support dozens of Russian firms seeking sales contracts.
It comes just over a year after a Russian-built Tu-154 crashed in Smolensk, killing Polish president Lech Kaczynski and 95 others.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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