61 killed in plane crash in Russia

Moscow, March 19: At least 61 people were killed on Saturday when a passenger jet crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, media reports said.

Flydubai flight FZ981 was en route from Dubai and crashed while trying to land, RT News reported.

Air-traffic control and local emergency services confirmed that the Boeing 737-800 jet crashed near the runway during a second approach in conditions of poor visibility killing all 61 on board -- 55 passengers, six crew members.

"During the landing approach a Boeing-737 crashed. It had 55 passengers on board. All of them died," a regional official told TASS news agency.

CCTV camera footage posted on YouTube claimed to have captured the moment of the explosion as the aircraft impacted the ground. However, its authenticity could not be immediately verified.

Emergency crews have already put out the fire, according to an airport source.

The airport has closed until further notice.

IANS