Seven crew die in Russian cargo plane crash-Tass

MOSCOW, July 29 (Reuters) All seven crew members died when an An-12 Russian cargo plane crashed soon after takeoff from Moscow's Domodedovo airport early today, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

It said the four-engine turboprop plane, bound for the Siberian city of Omsk, came down on open ground 4 km from the airport. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

Tass said the plane, which belonged to cargo carrier Atran, was built in 1964 but had been fully serviced in May.

Crashes of elderly planes are not unusual in Russia, which has made upgrading its passenger and cargo fleet a political priority.

REUTERS SKB RK1300