Originally published on November 18, 2013

A Boeing 737-500 operated by Tatarstan Airlines crashed on Sunday evening (November 17) upon landing at Kazan Airport. Flight U363 was took off from Domodedovo Airport near Moscow at 6:25 p.m. and crashed just over an hour later. Local reports say the pilot was trying to make a second approach when it lost altitude quickly, its fuel tank exploding upon impact.

All 44 passengers and six crew members on board were killed in the crash, emergency officials said.

According to officials, there were high winds and above-zero temperatures over the airport when the plane was trying to land. However, investigators are still looking into whether the accident was due to human error or a technical problem. The leased aircraft was 23-years-old.

The son of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and the head of the regional Federal Security Service Alexander Antonov were among those killed in the accident.

Kazan is 800 km (500 miles) east of Moscow, and is the capital of the largely-Muslim, oil-rich region of Tatarstan.

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