39 killed in Russian military plane crashes at Syrian airbase base

Damascus, March 7: All 39 passengers onboard were killed after a Russian military plane crashed in Syria adding to the death toll in the ravaged country. The plane crashed at Russia’s Hmeymim airbase in Latakia.

The official said in a statement that the plane, a Soviet-designed An-26, crashed at Russia’s Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province. The cause may have been a technical malfunction.

According to the latest updates, the An-26 transport aircraft, which crashed while landing at Hmeymim airbase, was carrying 33 passengers and six crew. All of them were members of the Russian Armed Forces,” Interfax news agency quoted the Russian defense ministry as saying.

“The crew and the passengers were killed.”

Russian state TV cited military officials as saying the aircraft had not been brought down by enemy fire. It said the plane came down around 500 meters (550 yards) short of the runway at Hmeymim as it attempted to land.