An-12 transport plane crashes near Irkutsk for unknown reasons

Transport aircraft An-12 crashed near the city of Irkutsk on December 26. The incident occurred at about 16:30 Moscow time. The plane disappeared from radar screens one kilometer before the runway, officials said.

There were nine people on board - six members of the crew and three attendants.

During the night, rescuers found the bodies of all victims of the crash.

The plane crashed on two storage facilities of a military unit. No fire occurred on the crash site, but the plane damaged the top parts of the warehouses, officials said. According to news agencies, the crash led to the fire on the territory of 20 square meters. The fire was quickly localized. The facilities, on which the An-12 crashed, were used to store spare parts for military vehicles.

Officials with the Russian EMERCOM said that the An-12 was left almost intact in the crash.

"The front part of the aircraft received minor destruction. Clearly, the chassis were damaged, but the tail and the wings are all intact. The aircraft has not fallen apart, it is whole," spokespeople for EMERCOM said.

A source in the Russian aviation industry said that the plane most likely crashed due to a technical failure. The aircraft was piloted by experienced crew, and weather conditions at the airport were satisfactory at the time of the crash.