22 killed in Ukraine military plane crash

SANAA, Sept. 26 (YPA) – At least 22 people, including soldiers, were killed and two seriously injured Friday when a Ukrainian air force transport plane crashed near Kharkiv in the east of the country, AFP reported.

The plane crashed at 8:50 p.m. local time (1750 GMT) two kilometres (two miles) from the Zhuif military base.

According to AFP, Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko confirmed the death toll, describing the incident as “shocking” and saying that the cause of the crash was being investigated.

The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that most of the (dead) were students” at the National Institute of the Ukrainian Air Force.

There were 27 people on board, including 20 air force recruits and seven crew members, the statement said.

The emergency services confirmed that 22 people had died and two were injured, and “the search for three people is continuing”.

Video footage posted on social media showed smoke still rising from the remains of the Antonov-26 transport plane.

E.M