A Russian cargo plane crashed moments after taking off from a military airport near Moscow today, killing all 10 crew members, the defence ministry said.
The Ilyushin Il-76, with a 40-tonne cargo, went down in a wooded area about 500 metres from the end of the runway at Chkalovsky airfield, which is half an hour's drive northeast of the capital Moscow.
There was still no word on whether there were any passengers on board the plane, which was delivering goods from Moscow to Norilsk in northern Siberia. The Il-76 has space for 10 passengers.
According to NTV television news, the aircraft never climbed higher than about 30 metres once it was airborne.
The defence ministry said early indications were that the crash had been caused by the engines catching fire immediately after take-off, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency.
There were no reports of anyone on the ground being hurt or of any damage to property.
The aircraft was on a civilian charter flight, with a civilian crew, and was being operated by Moscow-based air freight firm Rus.
Last week, a Russian Tu-154 passenger jet crashed near Irkutsk airport in eastern Siberia, killing 145 passengers and crew. A government investigation blamed pilot error.
AFP