At least 65 people onboard a Russian Ilyushin-76 military transport plane were killed on Wednesday, 24 January, after it crashed in the southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, as quoted by AP.
"Onboard were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three escorts," Russian defence ministry said.
Gladkov also said he was aware of an "incident" but gave no further details.
"Now, an investigation team and emergency services are working on the site. I have changed my working schedule and travelled to the district," he told AFP.
What We know
According to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing the ministry, reported that the POWs were being transported to the border region for a prisoner exchange.
There are videos that are being shared on social media of the plane crash, which The Quint has not been able to independently verify the video. It showed a plane falling from the sky in a rural area and a ball of fire erupting when it apparently hit the ground.
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