DRAMATIC CCTV appears to show the moment a doomed Russian jet erupted into a fireball killing all 71 people on board after the engine "exploded" in mid-air.

A five-year-old girl, her mum and 29-year-old air stewardess Anastasia Slavinskaya are among the victims named so far after the Saratov Airlines jet "broke apart in the sky".

26 This is the moment a plane erupted in a fireball moments before crashing killing 71 people on board Credit: YouTube

The crash scattered debris and dead bodies over the Russian countryside, with dramatic pictures showing the mangled wreck of the plane.

CCTV released by law enforcement officers in Russia shows a fireball erupting in the distance of a snowy landscape.

It showed what looked like a large ball of fire streaking through the sky.

President Vladimir Putin has ordered a special commission to investigate what caused the AN-148 plane, as investigators are said to be considering all possible causes including terrorism.

What we know so far:

All 65 passengers and six crew on the Antonov An-148 have been killed

The plane took off at 14.27 (11.27 GMT) on Sunday and contact was lost four minutes later

From Moscow, the plane was en route to the city of Orsk, in the Ural mountains, when it vanished

The aircraft - operated by Saratov Airlines - was descending at 1,000m per minute

Fragments were found in the Ramenskoye area about 25 miles from the airport

Sources say the crash may have been caused by the weather, human error, technical failure or terrorist related activity



26 Shocking images show the wreckage of the plane in a snowy field

26 A victim's gold chain is visible in the snow after the devastating crash Credit: East2West

26 Russian investigators work at the scene of the horrific crash site in Moscow Credit: Reuters

26 Around one hundred investigators and criminologists are now working at the scene Credit: Reuters

26 This drone photo shows the scene of Saratov Airlines plane crash, described as one of Russia's worst aviation accidents Credit: Getty - Contributor

26 Victims' loved ones head into the Municipal hospital in Orks for their DNA samples to be collected Credit: Getty - Contributor

26 Their DNA samples are needed as the bodies of the victims were described as being 'torn to pieces' Credit: Getty - Contributor

An aviation source told Moskovsky Komsomolets said the photos taken at the scene of the incident indicate an explosion could have taken place on board.

But now some experts believe the explosion which was heard by locals, took place as the plane crashed to the ground because debris is scattered for almost a square mile.

Horror images show charred the wreckage of the plane lying in a snowy field near Moscow alongside baggage and body parts as rescuers described seeing bodies "everywhere".

More than 450 body parts have been collected from the snowy field where the aircraft "nosedived" after suffering an unknown problem.

Russian plane crash - dramatic footage shows human remains and debris at the eerie snow-covered crash

The bodies of the victims were described as being “torn to pieces beyond recognition”, with the severed head of one passenger, his or her gold chain still visible, in the snow.

A shocking new drone video of the Russian An-148 crash site shows how little is left of the plane and its 71 passengers.

Footage from the Russian Investigative Committee shows the plane appears to have disappeared after the accident.

It comes as the youngest victim of the crash was been named as five-year-old Nadezhda Krasova, who was killed alongside her mum Oksana Krasova, 32.

26 Captain of the flight, pilot Valery Gubanov, is one of the 71 victims Credit: east2west news

26 Credit: East2west News

Crew member Anastasia Slavinskaya, 29, was onboard the doomed jet

26 Nadezhda Krasova, five, died alongside her mum Oksana Krasova Credit: east2west news

26 Nadezhda is the youngest victim of the devastating crash Credit: east2west news

26 Evgeny Livanov, 12, is among the young victims Credit: east2west news

26 Ulyana Son, 28, has also been killed in the crash Credit: east2west news

Evgeny Livanov, 12, Ilya Poletayev, 17, Ulyana Son, 28, Kriskentia Alexeenko, 25, and Lyudmila Kovchuga, 53, a doctor from Orsk, are also among the victims named so far.

Another victim Tatiana Sinitsyna to Orsk via Moscow from Turkey where her daughter and little granddaughter lived.

Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said that the bodies are so badly damaged that identification will have to be by DNA matching from devastated family members.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an urgent probe into the cause of the crash and officials called for drones to be used to search for bodies and wreckage of flight 6W703.

One witness claimed there was an "explosion" while the plane was still in the air.

26 Kriskentia Alexeenko, 25, has been named as a victim Credit: east2west news

26 Ilya Poletayev, 17, was on the doomed plane Credit: east2west news

26 Doctor Lyudmila Kovchuga, 53, has also been identified Credit: east2west news

First footage of wreckage of crashed passenger plane An-148 that crashed carrying 71 people near Moscow, Russia

26 The plane is understood to have 'broken apart' in the sky Credit: AP:Associated Press

26 Dramatic pictures show the wreckage on the snowy field it crashed in Credit: Getty - Contributor

The local man told Life Shot news: “The explosion was huge. Everything was shaking.

"I heard the noise of jet turbines. Then silence.”

The explosion led to “windows trembling” on the ground, he said.

Local reports claim investigators are looking into whether one of the engines on the An-148 exploded just 10 minutes after take-off.

26 Mangled fuselage at the site of the crash that killed all 71 people on board Credit: Reuters

26 Wreckage can be seen scattered in the snow at the crash site Credit: Reuters

The jet had disappeared off the radar just minutes after taking off from Domodedovo International Airport.

Russia's office of transport investigations confirmed that all 65 passengers and six crew on board lost their lives.

Air stewardesses Anastasia Slavinskaya, 29, and Viktoria Koval, 21, are both understood to have been killed.

Second pilot Sergey Gambaryan, 34, also died in the horror.

26 Second officer Sergey Gambaryan, 34, was among the 71 people killed in the horror crash Credit: East2west News

26 Sergey Gambaryan took this selfie moments before his last takeoff Credit: east2west news

26 This view shows the scene where the short-haul flight came down after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo Credit: Reuters

She said: "We been in contact with local authorities following today's tragic plane crash. At this stage, we are not aware of any British nationals involved, but stand ready to provide support."

Flightradar24 tweeted that the aircraft was descending at 1,000m per minute.

The An-148 aircraft went missing from the radar just two minutes after leaving Domodedovo International Airport.

There were 65 passengers and six crew members onboard the plane, Russian news agency Interfax reported.

A source told Interfax: "The plane crashed and there was no chance anyone could have survived."

The jet had come down near the village of Argunovo, about 80km (50 miles) south-east of Moscow, the source added.

26 The doomed jet was destined for Orsk airport but crashed just two minutes after take-off

26 Worried family members were seen gathering at Russian airports, waiting for news Credit: Flight Radar

Witnesses also told Interfax they saw the plane on fire in mid-air before it crashed into the ground.

Another source told the agency: “It appears the plane began to fall apart in the sky."

Interfax also reported that the wreckage of the plane was spread over a wide area around the crash site.

Authorities sent 150 rescuers, some on snow mobiles, to the remote scene in -5C temperatures.

Russian media reported that the emergency services were unable to reach the crash site by road and that rescue workers walked to the scene on foot.

They found two bodies near the black box.

A source at Domodedovo, Moscow's second largest airport, told agencies that the plane disappeared from radars within two minutes of take off.

Psychologists and medics deal with distressed relatives at Orsk airport - where crashed Russian plane was due to land

Saratov Airlines crash probed by Russia's Investigative Committee Russia’s Investigative Committee has now opened an investigation into the crash. Rescuers have arrived at the site and found two bodies from the crashed plane, Russia’s EMERCOM said.

Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov flew to the site of the alleged crash near Argunovo village in the Moscow region, officials confirmed. The crashed plane was spotted from the air in the countryside near Moscow, a rescue service source told Russia’s RIA news agency.

The Russian-made plane was seven-years-old and bought by Saratov Airlines from another Russian airline a year ago.

The transport ministry said several causes for the crash are being considered, including harsh weather conditions and human error.

Putin has offered his condolences to families who've lost loved ones on the tragedy.

The president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said: "The president offers his profound condolences to those who lost their relatives in the crash."

It's not the first tragic jet crash to hit Russia.

In December, 2016 a Tu-154 military airliner crashed into the Black Sea with the loss of all 92 people aboard on 25 December 2016, with the disaster blamed on pilot error.

And in October 2015 a Russian Airbus A321 carrying tourists crashed in Sinai, Egypt, with the loss of all 224 people aboard. ISIS said it had placed a bomb aboard.

What do we know about Saratov Airlines? Saratov Airlines is based in the city of Saratov which is about 500 miles south-east of Moscow. In 2015, it was banned from operating international flights when inspectors found non flight-crew in the cockpit. The airline appealed against the ban and changed its policy before resuming international charter flights again in 2016. The airline flies mainly between Russian cities but also has destinations in Armenia and Georgia. It operates 16 different planes - including five An-148s. The airline has ordered a new fleet of aircraft to be delivered between 2022 and 2025

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