11 dead in Russian military plane crash

MOSCOW - A military aeroplane has crashed in central Russia, killing all on board, news reports said Wednesday.

The Russian Air Force Antonov An-22 transport plane was carrying 11 people, officials were quoted as saying by news agency Itar-Tass.

The number of passengers was given as “about 12″ by news agency Ria Novosti, citing a source in the defence ministry.

The smouldering wreckage was discovered in the early hours of Wednesday in the central region of Tula, around 200 km south of Moscow, the ministry source was quoted as saying.

The plane had disappeared from radar screens around 9.30 p.m. (1830 GMT) Tuesday. The cause of the crash was not known, but could have been engine failure, the source said.