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A Russian spacecraft with toxic fuel and radioactive material on board is set to crash-land on Earth.

The space probe was bound for a Mars moon but became stuck in Earth's orbit.

Russian space agency Roscosmos said that between 20 and 30 fragments of the probe with a total weight of up to 200 kilos (440lbs) will survive the fiery plunge and shower the Earth's surface.

The unmanned Phobos-Ground spacecraft will plummet to Earth between January 6 and January 19.

The agency said the rough area of where the fragments could fall could only be calculated a few days ahead.

While the agency had lost contact with the probe following its launch on November 9, this was the first time it has acknowledged that the 170-million dollar (£109 million) craft has been lost and will come crashing down.

The engineers in Russia and at the European Space Agency have attempted unsuccessfully to propel it away from Earth's orbit and toward its target.

Phobos-Ground weighs 14.6 tons, which includes 12 tons of highly toxic fuel. Experts had warned that if the fuel has frozen, some could survive entry into Earth and pose a serious threat if it falls over populated areas.

But Roscosmos said it is sure that all fuel will burn on re-entry some 100 kms (330,000 feet) above the ground and pose no danger.

It said that 10 kilos (22 lbs) of Cobalt-57, a radioactive metal, will not pose a threat of radioactive contamination.

