The local emergency services are investigating the information about the crash of the Russian An-148 in Moscow region, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said Sunday, Sputnik reports.
A total of 65 passengers and six crew members were on board of An-148 plane of Saratov Airlines which had disappeared from the radars in the Moscow Region, the Russian Emergency Ministry said, adding that the crashed plane was subsequently detected from the air in the Ramensky District of the Moscow Region.
Debris of the crashed An-148 plane were discovered in the Ramesnky District of the Moscow Region, the main directorate of the Emergencies Ministry in the Moscow Region said.
"On February 11, 2018, at 02:45 p.m. [11:45 GMT] ... a message was received on disappearance from radars of an aircraft at the address - Moscow region, Ramensky municipal district, Stepanovskoye village ... at 03:40 p.m. [12:40 GMT] the debris of the aircraft were discovered," the statement said.
A total of 34 units of equipment and 167 people are operating in the crash site.
The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency's (Rosaviatsia) spokesperson confirmed to Sputnik that 65 passengers and six crew members were on board of the crashed An-148 plane, adding that the communication with the crew was lost few minutes after the aircraft's take-off.
"At 02:21 p.m. Moscow time [11:21 GMT] An-48 plane flight 703 ... took off from Domodedovo airport. According to preliminary data, 65 passengers and six crew members were on board. The radio communication with the crew was lost several minutes after the take-off, the aircraft disappeared off the radar screen. According to preliminary information, the communication was lost in the Ramensky district of the Moscow Region," the spokesperson said.
Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov is heading to the scene of Saratov Airlines An-148 crash in the Ramesnky District of the Moscow region, a spokesperson for the ministry told Sputnik.
"He [the transport minister] held talks with [Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir] Puchkov, [Governor of Moscow Oblast Andrei] Vorobyov and [Rosaviatsia head Alexander] Neradko and after that flew to the search site," the spokesperson said.
