32 killed as Russian plane crashes in Syria

Moscow, March 6 (IANS) A Russian transport plane carrying 32 people crashed on Tuesday while trying to land at an airbase in Syria, killing everyone onboard, the Defence Ministry announced.

The plane was attempting to land at the Hmeimim airbase in western Syria and the Ministry insisted it was not shot down, Efe news agency reported.

On board were 26 passengers and six crewmembers.

In a statement, the Ministry said preliminary data suggested that the accident could have been caused by technical failure.

An investigation has been launched into the incident, the Ministry added.

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