The flight was operated by the domestic Saratov Airlines and was headed for Orsk, a city in the Ural mountains. Russian transport minister Maksim Sokolov said "genetic expertise" would be needed to help identify the victims, adding that it could "take two or three months". The Russian-made plane was reportedly seven years old and bought by Saratov Airlines from another Russian airline a year ago. The governor of the Orenburg region, where the plane was heading, told Russian media that "more than 60 people" on board the plane were from the region. Andrei Odintsov, the mayor of Orsk, told Russian state television that six psychologists and four ambulances with medics were working with the families in the small airport.

Source: Standard Digital February 12, 2018 06:45 UTC