Aircraft

None of the 11 occupants of an Ilyushin Il-76 has survived after the heavy transport crashed after departure from Mirny in the Sakha republic.

The jet had been heading for Irkutsk when it came down about 1.5km from the runway, says the Russian emergencies ministry.

It says that the accident occurred at 07:49 local time. The aircraft was carrying seven main crew members and four additional personnel.

"There were no passengers or cargo on the aircraft," says the emergencies ministry, which states that the aircraft caught fire after the crash.

"The aircraft crash occurred in an uninhabited area, so damage on the ground was avoided."

While the air temperature in Mirny was cold, around minus 25°C, meteorological data for the departure time shows no significant weather conditions.

The specific airframe has yet to be identified but the Il-76 had reportedly been operating on behalf of the Russian interior ministry.

Firefighters found six victims in the wreckage initially and the remaining five after the fire was extinguished, says the emergencies ministry.