Plane crash-lands in Ukraine, 5 killed

Kiev, Feb 14: At least five people were killed when an An-24

with 45 people onboard made a cras -landing and caught fire in

, the emergencies service said Thursday.

Two people were injured while one was missing in Wednesday evening's incident in the eastern city of Donetsk, the emergencies service's press secretary said.

Thirty-nine people were evacuated before the airliner caught fire.

The plane missed the landing strip, turned upside down and broke into pieces, a spokesman said.

The charter flight was carrying football fans from Odessa to Donetsk for a UEFA Champions League game between Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund, the Ukrainskaya Pravda website reported.

An official said the hull of the plane was "badly deformed" and rescuers were unable to reach certain areas.

The search and rescue effort ended shortly after midnight Moscow time (2000 GMT).

IANS/RIA Novosti