According to the Russian emergencies ministry, a plane carrying parachutists crashed in central Russia on Sunday, killing 16 people.
The L-410 plane carrying 23 people crashed around 9:23 a.m. local time (06:23 GMT) while flying over Tatarstan, according to the ministry’s Telegram channel, with seven people rescued from the wreckage.
The remaining sixteen are “without signs of life,” a representative of the emergency services told the RIA Novosti news agency.
The aircraft was broken in half and had a heavily dented nose, according to images released by the ministry.
According to RIA Novosti, the seven survivors are in hospital, one of whom is in “very severe condition.”
The jet belongs to the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Russian Army, Aviation, and Navy, which presents itself as a sports and defence organisation, according to the Interfax news agency.
Two L-410 aircraft suffered fatal accidents in Russia earlier this year.
(With inputs from NDTV News – Topstories.)
The Chenab Times News Desk