Russian emergency officials say a passenger plane carrying 43 people crashed in Siberia early Monday shortly after takeoff, killing at least 16. Twelve survivors were rescued.
The ATR-72, a twin-engine, turbo-prop plane operated by the Russian carrier UTair, went down some 35 kilometers from the western Siberian city of Tyumen while en route to the oil town of Surgut. The cause of the crash is not known.
Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said the 12 survivors were flown to a hospital in Tyumen. She said 16 bodies have been recovered so far.
Russia's state-run RIA news agency quoted medical officials as saying at least five survivors were in critical condition.