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Two Russian passenger airliners with a total of more than 80 people on board crashed almost simultaneously late on Tuesday and no survivors were reported so far, Russian news agencies said.
A Tu-134 jet carrying 34 passengers and eight crewmembers crashed near the village of Buchalki in the Tula region south of Moscow. Interfax said that the plane took off at Moscow's Domodedovo airport and headed for Volgograd at 22:32 Moscow time (1832 GMT). Communication with the aircraft was lost on 22:59 Moscow time (1859 GMT).
Itar-Tass initially said that the type of the crashed in Tula plane was Tu-154 and it was carrying eight crewmembers and 54 passengers.
The rescuers have found the plane's tail and were searching for other pieces and flight recorders, as well as possible survivors, Interfax said, quoting an on-duty official of the regional administration.
Witnesses saw an explosion on board the plane just before it crashed, according to Interfax.
The second crashed plane, however, has not been found.
Itar-Tass quoted a Russia's aviation committee official as saying that the second plane, a Tu-154 airliner, with 44 people on board crashed near the city of Rostov-on-Don south of Moscow.
Interfax quoted the Emergencies Ministry as saying contacts with the Tu-154 flying from Moscow to the Black Sea resort of Sochi were lost at 22:59 Moscow time (1859 GMT) when it was expected to be 140 kilometers from the city.
The Siberian Airlines confirmed to Interfax that the plane heading from Moscow's Domodedovo airport to Sochi disappeared from radar screens at about 23:00 Moscow time (1900 GMT). The plane was in operation from 1982.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Federal Security Service to make prompt investigation, Interfax quoted Putin's Press Secretary Alexei Gromov as saying.
(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2004)
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