Moscow, Russia (BBN) – A passenger jet has crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don killing all 55 passengers and six crew on board, officials said.
The FlyDubai Boeing 737-800, coming from Dubai, missed the runway as it attempted to land at 03:50 local time (00:50 GMT) on Saturday, reports BBC.
It is not clear what caused the crash but poor visibility and high winds are being considered as a factor.
There were reports of a fire or an explosion on board.
Reports say the plane abandoned its initial attempt to land and circled for two hours before crashing at the second attempt.
Most of the passengers on board flight FZ981 were Russian, the regional governor said on television.
Another official said three foreigners were on the passenger list, Reuters reported, but this has not been confirmed.
About 700 rescue workers are at the site of the crash and the fire has been extinguished, media reports say.
A search is under way for the plane’s flight recorders.
Other flights have been diverted away from the airport.
A CCTV video showed what appeared to be a plane landing at the airport before being engulfed in a huge fire. Its authenticity has not been verified.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the airliner confirmed the “tragic accident” and said an emergency response has been put in place.
Boeing said on Twitter its team was working to gather more details.
FlyDubai, a low cost carrier launched in 2009 with a hub in Dubai, operates flights to some 90 destinations.
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