You're reading: Governor: Four passengers killed in Donetsk plane crash

 

Four people were killed in an emergency landing of a South Airlines aircraft at Donetsk Sergey Prokofiev International Airport, Donetsk region Governor Andriy Shyshatsky has told journalists.

 

“Most passengers were rescued. Four people were killed, as of now. One more person has been found under the debris of the aircraft, but we don’t know whether he is alive or not. We are searching for one more person,” the governor said.
The number of victims of the plane crash can still grow, Interfax-Ukraine quoted a source in Donetsk airport as saying.The governor said  that twelve people were injured.

Rescuers are searching for one flight attendant, who was in the rear of the aircraft at the moment of the landing.

Shyshatsky stressed that there was no fire in the plane during the emergency landing, as the aircraft was cooled off in time.

Meanwhile, one of the passengers of the aircraft, Dmytro Verbytsky, talked to journalists.

He said that all of the passengers were football fans and they were heading for Donetsk to watch Shakhtar vs. Borussia match.

The match is scheduled for 2145 on February 13 in Donetsk.

Verbytsky said that a fire broke out on board of the aircraft, but they managed to put it off quickly.

Earlier, the State Emergencies Service of Ukraine reported that, according to preliminary information, during the emergency landing the aircraft went outside the runway, turned over and broke apart.

The service also said that there were 45 people on board of the plane and 39 of them were rescued.

The airport’s press service reported that there were 44 people, including 36 passengers and eight crewmembers, on board of the aircraft.