A criminal investigation's begun into a plane crash in Russia's capital Moscow - which has left at least 41 people dead.
The aircraft, which had 78 people on board, burst into flames as it made an emergency landing yesterday.
The plane had not long taken off when the fire broke outRussian state TV showed footage of the plane with black smoke rising above its tail, and video posted on social media showed much of the rear engulfed by flame as it sped down the runway.
One clip showed a number of people fleeing from the aircraft, a Sukhoi SSJ-100 regional jet, as an emergency vehicle approached.
There's a plane on fire at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. An Aeroflot fight form Moscow to Murmansk declared an emergency and returned to its point of take off. It is a Sukhoi Superjet, built in 2017. Video, credit @JustinGosling pic.twitter.com/UXd17nqnkX
— Bryan MacDonald (@27khv) May 5, 2019
Aeroflot said the plane - which had 73 passengers and five crew on board - was forced to turn back after taking off from Sheremetyevo, blaming "technical reasons".
The victims included one member of the crew and at least two teenagers, according to Russia's investigative committee.
The airline - Russia's flagship carrier - said emergency medical care was being provided to the injured, with at least seven people reported to have been hurt.
The Russian health ministry said two of the injured were in a "serious condition".
The SSJ-100 is largely used in Russia as a replacement for outdated Soviet-era aircraft, but is also used by airlines in other countries, including Armenia and Mexico.
It has been involved in a fatal accident once before, in 2012, when a demonstration flight in Indonesia struck a mountain, killing all 45 aboard.
