Accessibility links

Breaking News

No Answers Yet On Why Russian Jets Crashed


25 August 2004 -- Investigators are trying to determine why two Tupolev passenger jets crashed in southern Russia late yesterday, killing 89 people, after taking off from the same airport in Moscow.

The first jet went down in the Rostov region south of Moscow. Minutes later, a second jet crashed in the southern Tula region.

Aviation authorities say all flight recorders have been recovered from the crash sites and will be reviewed in Moscow.

Authorities have yet to provide causes for the near simultaneous crashes.

"We are considering a number of possible causes, including a terrorist act, a technical problem and the human factor," Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov said. "I will not go through all of them now, but we do not rule out any possibility today."

President Vladimir Putin cut short a vacation in Sochi and returned to the capital after hearing about the two crashes. He has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

(AP/ITAR-TASS/AFP/Reuters)

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG