86 DEAD AS ILYUSHIN PLANE CRASHES

86 people, including women and children, have died in a crash of the Ilyushin 18 airplane belonging to Russia’s Air Forces, general Anatoli Kornukov, commander-in-chief, says. Families of officers serving in the Republic of Ajaria, an integral part of the Republic of Geogia, are among those died. The plane took off from the Chkalovski aerodrome near Moscow, and the passengers were returning after their vacations and business trips. The crash took place when the plane was flying over Caucasus, and a collision with a mountain peak is believed to be one of the possible causes of the crash. The plane hit the ground 20km south-west of Ajaria’s capital city Batumi.