Tatarstan plane crash: Sources reveal 'overloading' as reason for the accident

At least 16 people of 22 people aboard were killed after a plane carrying skydivers crashed on Sunday, shortly after takeoff in central Russia. According to a report of news agency Associated Press, the L-410 crashed near the town of Menzelinsk, about 960 kilometres east of Moscow.

In a statement, the Emergencies Ministry said that at least seven people were rescued from the crash site, of which one was in critical condition. Images posted by the ministry show the aircraft broken in half with a severely dented head. "Seven injured are hospitalised, the remaining 16 (show) no signs of life," the emergency services told Sputnik.

Overloading was one of the possible causes behind the plane crash in Tatarstan

Though the exact cause of the crash was not immediately determined, a source close to the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Air Force, and Navy of Russia (DOSAAF) that owns the plane, told Sputnik that the possible reason behind the crash was "overloading".

It said that the plane was designed for 19 people but there were 22 people on board. "One of the possible causes of the accident was its overloading -- the plane is designed for 19 people, as a result of which the aircraft did not have enough takeoff power to ascend," Sputnik source said.

Accidents mostly involve old planes in far-flung regions

Previously, the emergency services reportedly said that 19 people had been killed in the crash. The source was quoted by the agency as saying, "This information has not been confirmed, access to the plane’s half-ruined fuselage is impeded."

However, a representative of the emergency services told the RIA Novosti news agency that 15 persons are "without signs of life" while seven were pulled out alive from the wreckage. 

According to Russian news agency RIA Novosti, the local health ministry said that seven survivors are currently in the hospital, including one in 'very serious condition'. 

While the Russian aviation safety standards have improved in recent years, accidents mostly involving old planes in far-flung regions are not uncommon. Earlier in September, an ageing Antonov An-26 transport plane crashed in the Russian far east and killed six people. 

With inputs from AP

Image:  Twitter/@OmarAhmedDuule