Russian passenger jet with 71 onboard crashes soon after take off

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry says a passenger plane has crashed near Moscow and fragments of it have been found.  Russian media said the jet belonged to Saratov Airlines. The An-148 regional jet disappeared from radar screens shortly after takeoff from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport on Sunday afternoon. News reports said 71 people — 65 passengers and six crew — were aboard the plane heading for the city of Orsk, about 1,000 miles southeast of Moscow.

The An-148 was en route to the city of Orsk in the Urals, near Russia’s border with Kazakhstan. It crashed early in the afternoon local time. The crashed plane was spotted from the air in the countryside near Moscow, a rescue service source told Russia’s RIA news agency.