Boeing 737 Airliner Crash Leaves 50 Dead in Russia

Fifty people died Sunday in a Boeing 737 airliner crash in Kazan, Russia. The accident occurred 7:30 p.m. Moscow time (10:30 AM EST).

Among the dead were Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov's son Irek and regional Federal Security Service department chief, Lt. Gen. Alexander Antonov

Boeing-737 of Tatarstan Airlines flight U363 was travelling from Moscow to Kazan (located about 500 miles east of the capital). The plane, according to Russia Today, exploded after crash-landing.

According to preliminary data, there were 44 passengers and six crew members on the flight. The Ministry of Emergencies has released a list of people who lost their lives. Donna Carolina Bull, 53, a British National was also among the dead.

News reports from Russia said that the pilot, 47-year-old Rustem Salikhov, tried to land the plane several times before crashing.

"The plane attempted to land several times. One of the [fuel] tanks detonated while the plane was landing," said Emergencies Ministry spokeswoman Irina Rossius, Russia Today reported.

The airport in Kazan is now closed. Rescuers have completed search operations. A doctor at the scene said that there were only ashes and rubble at the site. Authorities are still looking for clues that could help explain the cause of the crash.

The head of the Investigation Committee, Vladimir Markin, told Russia Today that the crash might have been due to pilot error, technical problems or even bad weather conditions. It was raining in Kazan when the flight crashed.

Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan, a Muslim dominated region of Russia.

Boeing said in a statement that it "extends its deepest condolences to the families of those who perished in the Aircompany Tatarstan Flight U9-363/2B-363 accident on landing in Kazan, Russia, in route from Moscow." The company added that it will be providing all possible technical assistance to the crash investigation.

The 23-year-old jet was previously in use by various airline services including Air France, Uganda Airlines and Bulgaria Air, CNN reported.