Russian cargo plane crashes in Siberia with 7 on board: ministry

A Russian cargo plane with seven people on board crash landed in eastern Siberia and caught fire, the emergencies ministry said Wednesday.

The Antonov An-12 aircraft “disappeared from radars” during its final approach outside the city of Irkutsk, the ministry said on its Telegram channel.

According to preliminary information, the aircraft was carrying seven people and travelling from the city of Yakutsk, the ministry said.

It said a rescue team had arrived at the scene and the aircraft was on fire.

Antonov planes were manufactured during the Soviet era and are still used throughout the former Soviet Union for civilian and military transport.

They have been involved in a number of accidents in recent years.

Once notorious for accidents, Russia’s major airlines have shifted from ageing Soviet aircraft to more modern planes.

But poor aircraft maintenance and lax safety standards persist, and the country has recently seen several deadly air disasters.

In September, six people died when an An-26 transport aircraft crashed outside the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk.

And in July an An-26 flying over the Far Eastern Kamchatka peninsula crashed, killing all 28 people on board.