Jet crashes near Moscow, with 71 aboard likely having 'no chance to survive'

Jet crashes near Moscow, with 71 aboard likely having 'no chance to survive'

A jet carrying 71 passengers and crew crashed shortly after taking off from Moscow, likely leaving those aboard with 'no chance to survive,' a source in emergency services told the Interfax news agency.

Th jet had just taken off from Domodedovo Airport in Moscow and was en route to Orsk in the Orenburg Region when it crashed, according to the emergency services source.

"Tentatively, the plane has crashed near the village of Argunovo. The crew and passengers had no chance to survive," the source said.

Russian police are looking at whether criminal negligence could have led to the crash, which suggests the cause is not assumed to be terror-related.

A spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, which handles serious crimes, told Russian news agencies that it is opening a criminal case to look into possible violations of transport safety regulations or careless behavior resulting in deaths.

The spokeswoman, Svetlana Petrenko, told Interfax that according to the Committee’s preliminary information there were 65 passengers aboard, plus 6 crew members.

The Russian state news agency, RIA Novosti reports the plane disappeared from radar around two minutes after take-off from Domodedovo, citing a source in the emergency services.

Interfax reports the wreckage has been spotted from the air but emergency services have yet to reach it.