An IL-18 aeroplane belonging to the Russian defence ministry has crashed in Yakutia in Siberia with 39 people on board.
The defence ministry said 16 people were seriously injured, correcting earlier reports that 27 had died.
The plane was carrying 32 passengers and seven crew when it came down near Tiksi in the Bulun district of Russia’s far east.
Weather conditions were reportedly bad in the area when the crash happened.
The plane was carrying out a scheduled flight from Kansk when it came down about 30km (18 miles) short of Tiksi at 04:45 (19:45 GMT Sunday).
The plane broke into three pieces in what appears to have been an emergency landing.
Three Mi-8 helicopters were despatched to the crash site by Russia’s Emergency Ministry.
As well as the 16 seriously injured, another seven people on board the plane required hospital treatment.
The Ilyushin Il-18 is a large turboprop airliner that first flew in 1957 and became one of the best known and durable Soviet aircraft of its era.
The Il-18 was one of the world’s principal airliners for several decades and was widely exported.
Due to the aircraft’s airframe durability, many examples achieved over 45,000 flight hours and the type remains operational in both military and (to a lesser extent) civilian capacities.
The Il-18’s successor was the long range Il-62 jet airliner.
