At least 16 people are seriously injured after a Russian military plane crashed in remote Siberia.
The IL-18 aeroplane, which belongs to the Russian defence ministry, had 39 people on board when it came down near Tiksi in the country’s far east Yakutia province.
Weather conditions were reportedly treacherous when the plane crashed while attempting an emergency landing near a Soviet-era military base. Reports state it broke into three pieces.
The plane had been carrying out a scheduled flight from Kansk when it crashed 30 miles short of the airfield in Tiksi just after midday (3am GMT).
Three Mi-8 helicopters were sent to the scene of the crash by Russia’s emergency ministry.
On top of the 16 seriously injured, a further seven people on board the plane required hospital treatment.
A team of military investigators have been flown to the crash site, the defence ministry said.
Tiksi is a coastal town of around 5,000 people inside the Arctic circle.
It hosts a Soviet-era military air base that has been renovated in recent years as part of President Vladimir Putin's plan to remilitarise the Arctic.
