Update: 18.35.
A Russian airliner carrying 71 passengers and crew has crashed after vanishing from radar screens as it left a Moscow airport, Russian media are reporting.
The Antonov An-148 plane, operated by Saratov Airlines, was flying to Orsk, when it crashed outside of Moscow.
The plane was carrying 65 passengers and six crew.
It disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Domodedovo Airport.
The Russian emergency ministry has confirmed that there were no survivors onboard.
A ministry spokesperson was also able to confirm to the state’s news agency that “fragments” of the plane and “several bodies have been found” in a village approximately 40km from the airport.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, although it has been suggested either weather conditions or a pilot’s error of a technical malfunction may have been the cause.
Since the news was announced, Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his condolences to family and friends of the 71 people who lost their lives, while also instructing his government on a special commission to investigate the crash cause.
State broadcaster Russia Today have since uploaded footage from the crash site to YouTube, which appears to show pieces of the wreckage in a snow covered field.
Warning: viewer discretion is advised
Clip via RT
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