16 Russian soldiers injured in Siberia plane crash

Three of the wounded said to be in critical condition; harsh weather conditions believed to have downed plane

Illustrative photo of a Russian Ilyushin plane, similar to the one that crashed in Russia on Monday, December 19, 2016. (CC-BY SA, Kirill Naumenko, Wikimedia Commons)
Illustrative photo of a Russian Ilyushin plane, similar to the one that crashed in Russia on Monday, December 19, 2016. (CC-BY SA, Kirill Naumenko, Wikimedia Commons)

A plane carrying Russian soldiers crashed in Siberia early Monday, seriously injuring 16, the defense ministry in Moscow said, according to Russian news agencies.

The Ilyushin-18 plane carrying 32 passengers and seven crew members made an emergency landing around 4:45 a.m. Moscow time in the eastern Siberian region of Sakha.

Everyone on the plane survived but 16 people received serious injuries, RIA Novosti agency reported, citing the defense ministry, adding at least 20 of those on board required hospitalization.

Three of the injured are said to be in critical condition, according to a Russian government source quoted by the Russian TASS news agency.

It was not immediately clear whether the plane was owned by the military.

A source in the defense ministry told Interfax that the plane had not given a distress signal and that the flight took place in harsh weather conditions that could have led to icing of the plane.

Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.