Russia says 44 dead in plane crash

MOSCOW: At least 44 people were killed when a Tupolev-134 plane broke up and caught fire on landing in northern Russia, an Emergency Ministry spokesman said.

"Preliminary information is that about 44 are dead. The other eight are in hospital," the spokesman said by telephone. He gave no further details.

The aircraft, a TU-134 belonging to RussAir, tried to land on a motorway two kilometres (a little over a mile) from Petrozavodsk airport, a ministry official told. But it crashed and caught fire, the official added. The plane was badly damaged in the blaze.(Reuters/AFP)