Thursday February 14, 2013
Five dead as plane makes emergency landing in Ukraine
DONETSK, Ukraine: Five people died when an Antonov AN-24 plane with dozens of football fans on board made an emergency landing in the eastern Ukraine city of Donetsk on Wednesday, officials said.
"Most of the survivors were able to walk off the plane by themselves," emergency ministry spokeswoman Svytlana Borodyna told AFP, adding that there had been 44 people on board the plane operated by domestic airline Yuzhne Avialinii.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear but the plane was flying from the southern resort city of Odessa when it overturned and began breaking up upon landing at Donetsk airport, according to the ministry.
Aside from the five dead, twelve people were injured in the incident, Borodyna said.
One of the survivors told AFP the passengers were on their way to Donetsk to watch a Champions League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and German side Borussia Dortmund.
"We were all going to the match in Donetsk because we love our club," said Igor, who declined to give a second name, as he received treatment for a sprained arm in hospital.
The Champions League last 16 clash opened with a minute's silence for the victims before kick-off late on Wednesday.
A local security source had earlier said that the plane overturned and wound up in a field some 700 metres (yards) from the airport runway.
It was unclear whether the aircraft had skidded off the runway after landing or whether it had overshot the runway, local media said, adding that there was heavy fog at Donetsk airport at the time of the accident.
"I was lucky," added Igor, who is in his 40s. "After the crash I found myself in the plane lavatory. I was able to push myself up with my feet.
"My shoulder hurt but I started to walk, unsteadily. Someone helped me... they took me by the arm and walked me out of the plane. There was so much fog I couldn't see anyone, not even the plane," he recalled.
The Antonov AN-24 is a twin-engined 50-capacity propellor plane dating from the Soviet period, with more than 1,000 built between 1959 and 1979.
The planes are still widely used for regional flights in former Soviet countries. - AFP
- Copies of Opposition tabloids seized for violating permit
- Rally organisers told to adhere to Act or face the music
- Three held over May 13 statements
- Umno leaders back police action against those who utter seditious remarks
- KL car number plates to bear ‘W1A’
- Thousands throng thanksgiving rally by DAP
- Set aside differences, Malaysians told
- Fernandes does his first firing in Apprentice Asia
- Adam pleads not guilty to giving seditious speech
- Large migrant population a security risk to Sabah, RCI told
- Arrest of Opposition figures not political, say cops
- Pakatan uncowed by seizure of party organs
- NUJ slams attacks on journalists covering vigils
- MACC starts probe into payment in rape-marry case
- PKR condemns arrest of trio
- Crown selling entire 10% in rival Echo, partly owned by Genting
- First edition of 'Great Gatsby' to be sold at auction, can fetch US$150,000
- Malaysia leads the way in Basel III debt
- Markets face rough summer ride as Fed pullback feared
- Wall Street sags, HP hits 52-week high
- Commodities trader sues BP, Shell others for alleged oil price fixing
- Billionaire Icahn seeks up to US$7bil for Dell bid
- Google faces new federal antitrust probe
- Goldman Sachs unveils checks on conflicts in bid to fix tarnished image
- Air Asia's Tony Fernandes to ‘fire up’ investors
- Maybank bullish on growth, to expand regionally under new leadership
- Khazanah appoints Nor Mohamed deputy chairman
- Lafarge Malayan Cement to finalise next expansion plans by August
- Daibochi expanding exports to S-E Asia and Australia
- TDM to expand plantation and hospital ops
- Ranger, militant killed in Thai south shootout
- Japan man, 80, scales Everest, sets record
- Philippines vows to defend territory against China
- S. Korean girl killed by suicide jumper
- Ecuador warns satellite could hit rocket remains
- Short-story writer Davis wins Booker International Prize
- Two babies among US tornado victims
- Anti-Islamist protests flare following London attack
- 'British solider' butchered in suspected Islamist attack (Updated)
- BAM must stop rewarding mediocrity or be doomed
- Gritty Indonesia give mighty China a huge scare
- Yong-dae believes luckless run in world meet will end in Guangzhou
- Chin Chai will not take up offer as CNT committee chairman
- BAM secretary: It all depends on Kien Keat and Boon Heong now
- Chong Wei urges team-mates to put Cup exit behind
- Kelly overcomes scare to clinch title in KLGCC
- Time to make amends Garcia wants to meet Woods to defuse racist row
- American Johnson back to defend Colonial crown
- Rain dampens debut of LPGA Bahamas event
- Tianlang adds another US event to schedule
- Malaysia to host 2016 World Table Tennis meet
- Masziyaton lets slip medal chance in Myanmar
- Nicol David sails into quarter-finals of British Open in 35 minutes
- Nor Aliyah smashes 18-year-old 200m record in MSSM meet
- KL car number plates to bear ‘W1A’
- Fernandes does his first firing in Apprentice Asia
- EU slips up with olive oil ban, reverses course
- Rally organisers told to adhere to Act or face the music
- Three held over May 13 statements
- Thousands throng thanksgiving rally by DAP
- Umno leaders back police action against those who utter seditious remarks
- Adam pleads not guilty to giving seditious speech
- In Indonesia, football is kicked around by political parties
- Copies of Opposition tabloids seized for violating permit
- TDM to expand plantation and hospital ops
- Danajamin names non-exec director
- Stop the accidents on MRR2 with road humps
- Long wait at passport office
- Lafarge Malayan Cement to finalise next expansion plans by August
- KL car number plates to bear ‘W1A’
- DPP: Discrepancies in signed documents
- Family wants US Congress and expert to prove son was murdered
- Call for bridge-building among all
- Cast aside sledgehammer politics
RSS
