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Eyewitnesses reported seeing the Antonov An-148 aircraft operated by Saratov Airlines "breaking up in the sky" after it went missing from radar shortly after take-off from the Moscow airport. Russia’s transport minister said there were no survivors and among the dead are two children, aged five and 12. Emergency responders had to approach the crash site on foot as they were unable to get there in their vehicles. Russia’s transport minister Maxim Sokolov said the bodies of the plane crash victims were so badly damaged that identification will have to be by DNA matching. The plane's black box, which records flight data has been recovered from the scene and the area has been cordoned off by the police and the Russian National Guard.

REUTERS/TWITTER Russia plane crash: All 71 onboard were killed as Russian transport minister confirms 'no survivors'

Mr Sokolov said: ”The bodies are in such condition that it will require genetic tests.” “It will be necessary to collect biomaterials from relatives.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his "profound condolences to those who lost their relatives in the crash". President Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said: "The president has instructed the government to set up a special commission over the plane crash in the Moscow region. “Putin also instructed relevant agencies to organise the search operation.

TWITTER The aircraft was heading for Orsk, a city close to the Russia-Kazakhstan border

REUTERS Rescue teams have been sent to the crash site

“The president offers his profound condolences to those who lost their relatives in the crash.” Russia’s Investigative Committee have launched a criminal investigation and forensic teams are at the crash site. The pilot of the Antonov An-148 aircraft reportedly told air traffic control operators there was a technical malfunction and planned to make an emergency landing before the plane crashed, a source familiar with the inquiry told the Russian Gazeta.ru media outlet. Search teams are attempting to sift through the wreckage, according to an emergencies source, who added that many of the bodies were "mangled" and "not intact”. A ministry spokesman also told Russia’s TASS news agency: “Fragments of the An-148 and several bodies plane have been found near the village of Stepanovskoye." Flight data shows the aircraft was falling 22,000 feet per minute when the radar signal was lost, according to Flightradar24 ADS-B network.

REUTERS Russia plane crash: The bodies are so badly damaged they will need to be identified by DNA

REUTERS Russia’s transport minister there were no survivors and among the dead are two children

A source told Russian media there were "no survivors". Villagers from Argunovo, near the crash site, reported seeing the burning plane falling from the sky over Moscow region’s Ramensky district. An eyewitness told Russia’s Life Shot news outlet the plane exploded in the air. The local man said: “The explosion was huge, everything was shaking. I heard the noise of jet turbines. Then silence.”

7 Shocking and unbelievable plane incidents Wed, October 18, 2017 Shocking and unbelievable airline incidents and disasters. Play slideshow Getty 1 of 8 7 Shocking and unbelievable aeroplane incidents

According to the witness there was a flash “like a big ball, like a mushroom”. He added that the explosion led to “windows trembling” on the ground. Radio contact with the Saratov Airlines An-148 passenger plane was lost several minutes after the takeoff from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, according to Russia’s Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya). Pictures of the wreckage, including what appears to be one of the plane's jet engines, show the debris spread of across snow-covered fields.

EPA STOCK PHOTO Russia plane crash: Moscow's Domodedovo Airport lost radar with the plane shortly after take-off

The plane was reportedly carrying a consignment of mail for the Russian postal service. It is unclear what parcels and packages contained. A Russian Post spokesman told local media: “There was a sack with mail weighing about 30 kilograms.” A source told Russia’s Interfax news agency: "The airplane reportedly crashed outside Argunovo village in the Moscow region. “The crew and passengers had no chance.”

REUTERS Russia plane crash: Witnesses reporting seeing an explosion