A Russian passenger plane with only crew on board has crashed near Moscow, Russia’s emergencies ministry says.
It says the Sukhoi Superjet 100 went down in a forest, and all three crew members are believed to have been killed. There were no passengers on board.
Russia’s state-run media report that the plane went down during a test flight following repair works.
Russia’s has been developing the Sukhoi Superjet – a regional jet – for some time to replace Western-made aircraft.
Heavily sanctioned over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has struggled to replace its ageing aircraft fleet.
In a short statement, Russia’s emergencies ministry said the aircraft crashed in the forested area.
“There were no casualties among the population,” it said.
Russia’s transport prosecutors said the plane went down not far from the town of Kolomna.
The aircraft belonged to Gazprom Avia, the airline of the country’s Gazprom energy giant, the prosecutors added.
A criminal investigation is now under way into Friday’s incident.
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