A catastrophic event unfolded northeast of Moscow in the Ivanovo region, where a Russian military transport aircraft, the IL-76, was engulfed in flames and crashed, as confirmed by Russia's Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
Dramatic footage shared across social media platforms captured the IL-76 aircraft in its descent, with flames visible from one of its engines. Additional videos depicted a towering column of black smoke emanating from the site of the crash.
The state-run TASS news agency quoted the Defense Ministry stating, "At about 1:00 p.m. Moscow time, an IL-76 military transport aircraft crashed during takeoff for a scheduled flight in the Ivanovo region."
The aircraft reportedly had eight crew members and seven passengers on board at the time of the incident.
Initial reports from the scene suggest that the catastrophe was triggered by a fire in one of the aircraft's engines during its takeoff phase, according to further details provided by the Defense Ministry.
As of now, there has been no official confirmation regarding casualties resulting from the crash.
This incident occurs in the wake of another tragedy involving an IL-76 plane, which, according to Moscow, was transporting 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war when it crashed in a Russian area bordering Ukraine.
