50 people were killed when a passenger jet crashed while making its descent in Kazan, the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, on Sunday.
The jet, Tatarstan Flight 363, was taking 44 passengers and six crew members from Moscow to Kazan after departing shortly before 6:30 p.m. local time, reports the New York Times. The crash occurred just over an hour later and everyone aboard the flight was killed.
The pilot of the jet was attempted to land at the airport when the aircraft suddenly lost altitude and crashed nose first into the ground, reports Russian news agency RIA Novosti. A ministry spokeswoman told reporters that there was an explosion upon the plane’s impact.
Emergency responders were soon on the scene and were able to quickly douse the flames so they could check to see if there were any survivors. None were found.
All the bodies of the 50 victims have since been recovered from the wreckage. Local authorities have only released a few identities of the victims.
Among the dead were two children. Irek Minnikhanov, son of the Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, was reportedly also killed in the plane crash.
There are now questions as to why the jet had its sudden and horrifying crash at the airport. According to the Times, some are saying that weather may have been a factor, as there were strong winds at the time when the jet was attempting to land.
President Putin has commissioned an inquiry into the cause of the plane crash. The flight data recorder will be recovered to help solve this mystery.