88 killed in Russian plane crash

Moscow, Sept 14 (ANI): At least 88 people died when a Boeing-737 airliner they were flying in crashed in the Sibera region. No casualties were reported on the ground as the plane reportedly crashed in open fields.

Around 21 of those dead were foreigners.

The plane was flying from Moscow to the Siberian city of Perm when it crashed in an unpopulated area as it was landing, said the agencies, The Telegraph quoted Aeroflot as saying in a statement.

"The Boeing-737 carried 82 passengers on board, including seven children, and six crew... All passengers were killed," added the statement.

Firefighters were successful in extinguishing the blaze at the crash site. "We have found the aircraft. It came down within the city limits (in Perm) in a patch of waste ground. Initial reports are of no casualties on the ground," Emergencies Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was briefed about the crash by Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Aeroflot identified the foreigners as nine people from Azerbaijan, five from Ukraine and one person each from France, Switzerland, Latvia, the United States, Germany, Turkey and Italy. (ANI)