Plane carrying fans en route to Champions League match crashes in Donetsk; four reported dead
Feb 13, 2013, 1:52 PM EDT
According to reports out of Ukraine, a plane carrying 44 passengers from Odessa to Donetsk was forced into an emergency landing Wednesday evening. Four people are dead, with the status of two others unclear. Twelve people were injured.
The plane, a twin-engined Antonov 24 turbopop, overshot the runway in Donetsk. When it attempted to execute an emergency landing, the plane turned over and broke apart. Donetsk was reportedly “shrouding in fog” during the aircraft’s approach.
Emergency personnel from Donetsk Sergey Prokofiev International Airport were immediately dispatched, with surviving passengers transported back to the facility.
Regional governor Andriy Shyshatsky:
“The large majority of passengers have been saved. At the moment, there are four dead. One person is visible in the wreckage, but we don’t yet know whether he is alive or not. We are searching for one other person …”
According to Dmytro Verbytsky, a passenger who spoke to press at the airport, the plane was full of fans on their way to the Donbass Arena for tonight’s UEFA Champions League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and German champions Borussia Dortmund.
The plane contained 37 passengers and eight crew members. Thirty-nine of the plane occupants have been rescued.
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