11 Killed in Russian Military Plane Crash

A Russian military jet crashed overnight Tuesday in the Tula region south of Moscow, killing 11 people on board, the Interfax news agency reported, citing a law enforcement source.

"According to preliminary data, there were 11 people on board the plane, they were all killed," the source told Interfax.

The plane that crashed was an Antonov An-22, the agency reported.

The Ria Novosti agency, citing a law enforcement source, reported that there were 12 people on board the plane, all of whom had died.

"According to the army, the plane disappeared from radar screens and communication was lost," Alexander Yevteyev, deputy governor of the Tula region, told Ria Novosti.

The massive turboprop aircraft was flying between Voronezh and Tver when came down, Ria Nosti reported.

Accidents involving military aircraft are relatively common in Russia.

In September, an Su-27 Sukhoi jet crashed during a training flight in Russia's far east, although both pilots managed to eject to safety.

In June, Russia halted all flights by the Sukhoi-24 frontline bomber after the plane suffered two crashes in the space of a week.

The Antononov 22 is a transport plane that dates back to the Soviet era.