What compensation will the relatives of those killed in the plane crash receive? The Internet is demanding fair compensation for the relatives of the victims of flight A321

Compulsory life insurance for air transport passengers was introduced in Russia on July 7, 1992 by decree of Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The document provides that the insurance premium is included in the cost of the travel document, and the insurance amount is up to 120 times the minimum wage (minimum wage, which in 2015 corresponds to 715,800 rubles). This provision applies to domestic flights.

According to the provisions of the Air Code of the Russian Federation, signed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin on March 19, 1997, the carrier is obliged to insure the life and health of passengers, as well as luggage, in accordance with the norms of Russian and foreign legislation. The airline is also obliged to pay the relatives of the deceased passenger 2 million rubles. (as amended by the Code of December 4, 2007), not counting compensation for baggage and hand luggage (up to 11 thousand rubles, or 600 rubles per kg of weight, or in the amount of the declared value).

Amount paid to relatives

The amount of compensation for victims of Russian airline crashes includes:

2 million rubles. airline liability;
not less than 715 thousand 800 rubles. (120 minimum wage) compulsory life insurance;
compensation for lost luggage and hand luggage;
additional payments from federal and local executive authorities;
payments from insurance companies for voluntary life insurance if the deceased entered into appropriate contracts.

The amount may be even higher if the plane crash occurred abroad - in this case, the amount of insurance compensation is regulated by international treaties and foreign legislation - for example, the amounts of compulsory insurance of the foreign state on whose territory the disaster occurred.

Tax on compensation to relatives of victims

In accordance with the amendments made on November 29, 2014 to the Tax Code of the Russian Federation (clause 3 of Article 217), compensation and insurance payments to relatives of those killed in plane crashes or as a result of other emergencies and terrorist attacks are exempt from taxation. The initiator of the amendments in September 2011 was Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. He ordered the exemption of such compensation from taxes after the plane crash of the Yak-42D plane of the Yak Service company near Yaroslavl on September 7, 2011, on board which was the Lokomotiv hockey club.

Lawsuits regarding the amount of compensation

Relatives of plane crash victims may also seek compensation for moral damages and challenge the amount of compensation in court. For the first time, such a claim was satisfied on November 16, 2001. Then the court decided to pay the relatives of some of those killed in the Tu-154 crash on July 3, 2001 to the Vladivostok-Avia company near Irkutsk more than 500 thousand rubles. compensation. At the same time, the majority of families entered into a peace agreement with the air carrier and received only 100-300 thousand rubles. Subsequently, similar litigation occurred regularly. Thus, in June 2010, the family of Hero of Russia Gennady Troshev, who died in the crash of the Boeing 737 Aeroflot-Nord plane on September 14, 2008, sued the air carrier for 16.3 million rubles. Relatives proved that Troshev was on a connecting flight from abroad and his family could claim a larger amount of compensation than other passengers.

Also, the amount of compensation may be higher if the blame for the disaster lies with a foreign country. Thus, on October 4, 2001, Ukrainian air defense forces shot down a Tu-154 plane of Sibir Airlines over the Black Sea, en route from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk. In 2003, following intergovernmental negotiations, Ukraine agreed to pay $200 thousand to each family of deceased citizens of Russia and Israel.

The level of compensation does not depend on the number of plane crashes or the capitalization of airlines, but on which international convention is recognized by a particular country - Montreal or Warsaw.

Countries that have accepted the Montreal Convention

The United States, European Union countries, China, Japan and 99 other countries have signed the Montreal Convention, which regulates payments to the families of those killed in plane crashes on international flights. Regardless of who is declared guilty of the plane crash, the family of each deceased will receive $170 thousand. These payments do not mean that the state whose citizen died in the plane crash does not pay anything else to his family - each country has its own payment system. Russia has not yet ratified the Montreal Convention.

USA: In addition to the compensation provided for by the Montreal Convention, payments from the country's budget are calculated according to the following scheme: the amount of compensation is equal to the amount of potential income of a deceased US citizen for 5 years, taking into account the potential growth of his salary. In addition, American families receive compensation for moral damage in the amount of $250 thousand (about 17 million rubles). At the same time, the moral damage to parents who lost a child is estimated at $350 thousand (more than 23 million rubles). The estimated cost of living for an airline passenger is set at $3 million by the Department of Transportation, which varies with inflation.

China: In addition to the payments that are due under the Montreal Convention, the Chinese authorities pay the families of the victims about $500 thousand (about 33.5 million rubles). The one-time assistance is about $38 thousand (about 2.5 million rubles)

France also signed the Montreal Convention. Insurance payments are made according to the so-called indemnitarian principle of compensation, when the insurance company covers all types of losses of the insured person. Including lost profits if the insured event disrupted the victim’s plans to receive income.
When there is no defendant or the incident occurred as a result of a global catastrophe, the so-called Guarantee Funds for Damage Compensation come into play. Contributions to it are made by all citizens who buy insurance. For example, Air France paid €100 million (about 7.67 billion rubles) to the families of the victims of the plane crash at Charles de Gaulle airport. The tragedy in 2000 killed more than 100 people.

Spain also does not skimp on payments, especially when it comes to large-scale disasters, but you have to wait for years for the money you are entitled to. For example, one of the largest compensations was awarded for the explosion of four commuter trains in 2004. The court decided to pay the relatives of the victims €400 thousand (more than 30 million rubles to each family), and each victim €200 thousand (more than 15 million rubles). However, many Spaniards agreed to the proposals of private insurers, who paid immediately, but in much smaller amounts. The high level of bureaucracy in obtaining compensation provoked a series of suicides of disaster victims and family members of the victims.

Ukraine ratified the Montreal Convention in 2008. In addition, the authorities paid additional insurance compensation. For example, on October 4, 2001, a Tu-154 plane of Siberia Airlines crashed over the Black Sea. According to the conclusion of the Interstate Aviation Committee, the plane was unintentionally shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missile launched during a military exercise. As a result, Ukraine paid Russia $7.8 million to provide assistance to the relatives of the victims. In addition, in November 2003, Ukraine paid Israel $7.5 million in compensation.

Countries that have recognized the Warsaw Convention

Russia recognizes the Warsaw Convention, according to which the minimum amount of compensation is $8.3 thousand (at the current exchange rate - about 560 thousand rubles). However, when an AirAsia plane crashed in December 2014, the CEO of this company said that he would not “hide behind any convention and would pay much larger sums to the families of the victims. Also, the Warsaw Convention was signed by such countries as Uzbekistan, Belarus, Venezuela, Honduras, Libya, Algeria, Angola, Iran, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Yemen, etc.

Russia: Currently, the amount of payments is determined according to the following scheme: for each deceased, relatives are paid 1 million rubles from the federal budget. Compensation from regional budgets is also provided. Moreover, each region has its own payment system. But, as a rule, their size corresponds to federal payments. Also, relatives of the deceased have the right to a small one-time assistance from 10 to 50 thousand rubles and payments related to the loss of property.

Relatives of the victims of the An-148 crash in the Moscow region, in addition to payments from the insurance company, will receive additional payments from the regional budget, Mikhail Babich, presidential envoy to the Volga Federal District, told reporters.

“By the decision of the governor of the Orenburg region, the relatives of each deceased, in addition to the insurance that is provided, will be paid an additional 1 million rubles.”, - quotes him as saying “ Interfax".

In addition, the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, also announced plans of the regional authorities to pay compensation to the families of the victims from the regional budget.

“Families of the victims will receive compensation of one million rubles, visas from the regional budget”, he said.

Let us remind you that the plane took off on February 11 from Domodedovo Airport, and then just a few minutes later disappeared from radar. The airliner crashed in the Moscow region in the Ramensky district. There were 71 people on board - 65 passengers and six crew members. No one managed to survive.

Read all the news and exclusive Metro materials on the disaster in the Moscow region HERE.

/ Sunday, February 11, 2018 /

topics: Airport Incidents Vorobiev

The funds will be transferred to the regions where relatives of the victims live.

On behalf of the governor of the Moscow region Andrei Vorobyov, the families of those killed in a plane crash in the Ramensky district will be paid 1 million rubles. The corresponding document was approved on February 13 at a meeting of the regional government.

The procedure for receiving payments was explained by the Minister of Social Development of the Moscow Region Irina Faevskaya.

“To process payments to the families of the deceased, it is necessary to contact the social protection authorities at the place of residence. Our ministry will transfer budget funds to the region where the relatives of the deceased live; they do not need to specially come to the Moscow region.”, - noted Faevskaya.

Passenger An-148 “Saratov Airlines” , operating a flight from Moscow to Orsk, disappeared from radar screens on February 11, a few minutes after takeoff from Domodedovo Airport. The wreckage of the aircraft was found near the village of Stepanovskoye, Ramensky district. . . . . .

The Moscow region authorities have approved a document on payments in the amount of 1 million rubles to the families of those killed in the An-148 crash in the Ramensky district; in order to process the payment, you must contact the social security authorities at your place of residence, according to the Telegram channel of the press service of the governor and government of the Moscow region.

. . . . . The corresponding document was approved on Tuesday at a meeting of the regional government.

. . . . .

“Among the dead were residents of the Moscow region, their families also need to contact the department of social protection of the population and payment will be made in a timely manner.”“, the minister concluded.

The An-148 aircraft was operating flight No. 703 Moscow - Orsk. It crashed on February 11 in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region near the village of Stepanovskoye. There were 65 passengers and six crew members on board the plane. No one survived.

The capital authorities will pay the families of 11 Muscovites killed in a plane crash one million rubles. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced this today on his official page.

“We helped colleagues from the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Emergency Situations organize free accommodation and food, psychological assistance for relatives of the victims arriving in Moscow from other regions. Once again, my condolences to everyone who lost relatives and friends in this terrible tragedy.”, the mayor wrote.

. . . . . A little later, the wreckage of the plane was discovered in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region. The plane crash killed 71 people. A criminal case has been initiated into the incident.

The first versions of the An-148 crash began to appear “Saratov Airlines” in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region. . . . . . The airliner was heading from Moscow to Orsk and took off from the capital’s airport.” Domodedovo”.

According to the Telegram channel 360tv, the preliminary cause of the disaster is the failure and subsequent explosion of one of the engines. Details are not provided.

Earlier it was reported that the crashed plane allegedly collided with a helicopter “Russian Post”. But the company said that it does not have helicopters: it owns only two Tu-204S aircraft.

Emergency services are at the crash site. In Orsk, psychologists are working with the relatives of the victims.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Russian President Vladimir Putin have already expressed their condolences in connection with the tragedy.

. . . . .

At a meeting on Tuesday, the Moscow region government adopted a resolution to pay one million rubles to the families of those killed in a plane crash on February 11 in the Ramensky district, the press service of the regional governor reports.

“Payments in the amount of one million rubles are made on behalf of the Governor of the Moscow Region, Andrei Vorobyov. . . . . .

Airplane “Saratov Airlines” crashed on Sunday afternoon in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region after taking off from Domodedovo to Orsk. There were 71 people on board, mostly residents of the Orenburg region. They all died.

As of 8:00 Moscow time on Tuesday, more than 1.4 thousand fragments of bodies and about 500 fragments of an aircraft were found at the crash site, and 30 hectares of territory were examined.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on the creation of a government commission to provide assistance to the families of those killed in the crash of the An-148 passenger plane in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region; the corresponding document was published on the website of the Russian government.

. . . . . A search operation is underway at the scene of the accident.

"In order to provide assistance to the victims and families of those killed in the crash of the An-148 aircraft of the joint-stock company “Saratov Airlines” which occurred on February 11, 2018 in the Moscow region, as well as assistance in eliminating the consequences of this disaster, a government commission was formed by a signed order and its composition was approved", says the document.

The commission included representatives of federal executive authorities, the Interstate Aviation Committee, governors of the Moscow region Andrey Vorobyov and the Orenburg region Yuri Berg. The Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Maxim Sokolov, was appointed chairman of the commission.

. . . . . The commission included the head of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov.

. . . . .

Telegram channel Mash published a complete list of those killed in the An-148 crash “Saratov Airlines” . The airliner crashed in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region. The exact cause of the disaster is unknown. . . . . . The plane took off from the capital’s airport.” Domodedovo” and headed to Orsk. . . . . .

Crew members:

Kobol V. (flight attendant)

Slavinskaya A. (flight attendant)

Gambaryan S. (co-pilot)

Gubanov V. (crew commander)

Passengers:

Kuzmin O.

Alekseenko K.

Khokhlova O.

Nasyrova E.

Kozupica A.

Ulrich K.

Usachev V.

Davydova E.

Gromov I.

Bulatov L.

Karmaleev B.

Panchenko S.

Gavrilov S.

Normantovich V.

Varsik S.

Nikolaeva L.

Remarchuk V.

Anokhin V.

Anokhina Z.

Evgeniy L.

E. Limanov

Kalashnik M.

Tsypichko O.

Dragina M.

Kurepov O.

Grachev A.

Boykova E.

Leonova O.

Sergoshko A.

Tolkachev I.

Korotkov E.

Gahramanov N.

Ilyinov E.

Nikitchenko A.

Kolodyazhny A.

Krasova N.

Krasova O.

Urazaeva M.

Nikitenkova G.

Ostavsky I.

Momzikova K.

Kiseleva E.

Nazarov M.

Vedyakina M.

Vediborenko I.

Radchuk I.

Aknazarov T.

Ivanov V.

Tolkachev V.

Tolkacheva L.

Poletaev I.

Sinitsina T.

Karpukhin A.

Karpukhina T.

Dolbin V.

Dmitrenko Yu.

Grishova I.

Kovchuga L.

Tolmasova D.

Machneva S.

Alexandrov I.

Tulkubaev F.

Meshcheryakova N.

Normantovich A.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 11 residents of the capital died in the An-184 crash in the Moscow region.

“According to the latest data, 11 Muscovites died in the An-148 crash,” Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his VKontakte page. “We will pay their families additional one-time assistance and provide targeted social support. . . . . .

Let us remind you that the flight from Moscow to Orsk (Orenburg region) included 65 passengers and 6 crew members. No one survived the plane crash in the Moscow region. The plane crashed 7 minutes after takeoff. So far, the preliminary cause of the disaster has been identified as engine problems.

Latest news about the An-148 crash in the Moscow region:

According to the Mash channel, not a single flight recorder has yet been found. Emergency Situations Ministry employees working on the spot erroneously reported that they had found a black box - it turned out to be one of the aircraft’s components. Employees were also questioned Domodedovo”. They stated that the plane was treated with de-icer "as normal."

Among the passengers on the plane were three children - the eldest was 17 years old, the youngest girl was 5 years old. She was flying with her mother. More information about the flight passengers - most of them are residents of the Orenburg region - HERE.

A “black box” was found at the site of the An-148 plane crash in the Moscow region, Sergei Poletykin, head of the regional head office of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, said during a conference call.

"One recorder was found at the crash site", - quotes him as saying “ Interfax".

An An-148 plane crashed on Sunday “Saratov Airlines” . He took off from the capital’s airport “ Domodedovo” and a few minutes later crashed in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region. . . . . . There have been no reports of survivors of the plane crash yet.

The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under the article on "violation of the rules of operation of air transport, resulting in the death of two or more persons".

The Ministry of Emergency Situations opened a hotline after the An-148 crash - 8 800 775 17 . . . . .

Moscow authorities will help loved ones and relatives of those killed in the An-148 crash in the Moscow region in organizing funerals, the official portal of the mayor and government of the capital reported on Tuesday.

An-148 aircraft “Saratov Airlines” , operating a flight on the Moscow-Orsk route, crashed on Sunday a few minutes after takeoff from the airport “ Domodedovo”. . . . . . Earlier, the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, said that 11 Muscovites died in the plane crash, and he ordered one-time compensation in the amount of 1 million rubles to be paid to the families.

“The city budgetary institution will provide assistance to families in organizing the funeral.” Ritual", - the message says.

In addition, the relatives of the victims will be compensated for expenses associated with their stay in Moscow during identification parades, which take place at the Moscow Bureau of Expertise.

All those on board the An-148 that crashed in the Moscow region were killed. RIA reports this News " with reference to the press service of the Moscow Interregional Transport Prosecutor's Office.

“There were 65 passengers and six crew members on board the aircraft, all died.”, - stated in the supervisory agency.

According to a regional government representative, three minor children were among the passengers. The eldest, according to preliminary data, was 17 years old, the second - 13 years old and the youngest - 5 years old.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, communication with the crew of the An-148 “Saratov Airlines” flight 703 Moscow - Orsk disappeared a few minutes after takeoff from Domodedovo airport.

. . . . .

The Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that the plane crashed in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region near the village of Stepanovskoye.

. . . . .

Emergency services specialists, investigators and criminologists are working at the crash site.

Expert on the An-148 crash: something super-urgent, just instantaneous happened
An-148 plane crash in the Moscow region: the media published the full list of victims
An-148 crash in the Moscow region: one of the passengers miraculously escaped

An official statement has been received

The families of those killed in the An-148 crash will receive compensation payments. As the Moscow Region Government clarified, the amount will be one million rubles. The corresponding document was adopted at a meeting of the regional Duma, which was held on the initiative of the head of the region, Andrei Vorobyov. Those who are outside the region will be able to receive social benefits at their place of residence. The order has already entered into force.

. . . . . Within the legal deadlines, applicants will receive compensation payments.

Earlier, NEWS-R wrote about an An-148 passenger plane flying on flight No. 703 “Moscow - Orsk” in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region. . . . . .

The Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow registered a claim by relatives of those killed in a plane crash over the Sinai Peninsula. Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena and his American colleague Stephen Marks, who are dissatisfied with the “meager amounts” of payments to victims, will defend the interests of the prosecution in court. However, the final amount of the claim may be several times less, and the litigation risks dragging on for years, the expert community believes. “360” looked into the details of the high-profile trial.

On Thursday, October 19, victims in the case of the crash of the A321 plane over the Sinai Peninsula filed a class action lawsuit in the amount of 93 billion rubles (about 1.4 billion euros), press secretary of the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow Emilia Khil told the 360 editors.

The lawsuit was filed today. The defendants in the lawsuit are the insurance companies Ingosstrakh and Alliance Global Corporate and Specialty, the travel company Brisco, the Russian airline Kogalymavia, and the Aircap company. The total amount of the claim is $1.383 million.
Emilia Khil.

The decision to accept the claim must be made within five working days, the court representative noted. A class action lawsuit was filed by 118 relatives of those killed in the A321 crash in Egyptian airspace.

The press service of the insurance organization Ingosstrakh, which became one of the participants in the 360 lawsuit, reported that the company has not yet received an official notification. “To date, JSC Ingosstrakh has fully fulfilled its obligations to settle the insured event associated with the crash on October 31, 2015 of an Airbus 321-200 aircraft of the Kogalymavia airline, operating flight No. 7K-9268 on the route Sharm El-Sheikh - St. -Petersburg,” the company noted.

In the fall of 2016, Ingosstrakh said in a press release that all obligations to the victims were fulfilled. According to the federal law “On compulsory civil liability insurance of carriers,” relatives of the victims of the terrorist attack received a total of almost 405 million rubles in compensation for material and moral damage.

"Minor payments"

RIA Novosti / Igor Russak

The day before, Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena and American human rights activist Stephen Marks, whose practice includes a dozen lawsuits related to the payment of compensation to victims of plane crashes, came to the defense of the victims.

Lawyers were outraged by the amount of compensation to the relatives of the victims. Kucherena insists on reviewing the amount of payments to the victims, since the families of the victims received “meager pennies” and “free sums”, the origin of which is unknown, the lawyer told Interfax.

The carrier's liability insurance policy contains significantly higher amounts - over $750 million. However, the Ingosstrakh company limited itself to paying only 2 million rubles - the minimum amount provided for by the Air Code of the Russian Federation and the law “On compulsory carrier liability insurance”
Anatoly Kucherena.

The human rights activist added that the amounts of payments made by Ingosstrakh vary from 600 thousand to 2 million rubles. In addition, the relatives of only 197 passengers received insurance compensation, and the relatives of 20 victims were not paid compensation at all. As Ingosstrakh itself explained, the company had no legal grounds for providing insurance compensation to these passengers, since their relatives were not included in the list of persons entitled to receive compensation in accordance with 67-FZ of the Russian Federation.

Anatoly Kucherena and his American colleague decided to go to court almost two years after the disaster, since in April of this year Russia joined the Montreal Convention, which regulates the rules of international air transportation. According to the document, maximum compensation in case of death of passengers can reach up to 8.7 million dollars.

Long-term litigation

Lawyers have every chance of winning this class action, however, it is unlikely that they will be able to receive the declared amount in full, since the court will thoroughly study the claim for proportionality, lawyer Alexander Treshchev explained in a conversation with the editors of 360.

All large companies are afraid of class action lawsuits because the amount of claims is an order of magnitude higher than individual individual lawsuits. Often companies that have received such huge claims prefer to go bankrupt rather than pay out such funds. However, many reach an agreement before the trial and receive compensation, so in the end the claim can turn from a collective one into an individual one
Alexander Treshchev.

The expert emphasized that lawsuits can last for years and the final amounts of compensation are several times less than previously announced. “The demands of lawyers are always exaggerated, because they often file a claim on the condition that if they win, they will receive half of the total amount of payments. In my practice, there were cases that lasted 18 years and ended with a very small compensation portfolio,” Treshchev summed up.

Air traffic between Russia and Egypt was interrupted in November 2015 at the initiative of Moscow after the crash of a plane of the Russian airline Kogalymavia, which occurred on October 31, 2015. The airliner was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. There were 217 Russian tourists and seven crew members on board, all of whom died. The FSB classified the incident as a terrorist attack. Due to the incident, air traffic between the Russian Federation and Egypt was interrupted; it has not yet been restored.

Families who lost relatives in the An-148 plane crash, which claimed the lives of 71 people, began to receive monetary compensation in Orsk. The process of identifying the victims of the crash is currently underway, but no one has been identified yet. The Ministry of Emergency Situations has expanded the search operation area.

Financial assistance in the amount of one million rubles must be paid from the regional reserve fund. At the moment, money has been paid to two families, two more are in the process of receiving it, the website of the government of the Orenburg region reports on February 16. As soon as they are ready after verification, all other documents will be submitted for payment, the regional administration notes.

The day before, on February 15, the Ministry of Social Development of the Orenburg Region signed an agreement with the Ministry of Social Development of the Moscow Region on the provision by the Moscow Region government of an interbudgetary transfer to pay one-time assistance to the relatives of the victims.

In Orsk, representatives of federal and regional departments continue to work with loved ones and relatives of the victims; questions for each family are processed individually. All information is collected in so-called social passports, which reflect all information about relatives, problematic situations, and the need for support measures.

A charity account has been opened to collect donations for the families of those killed in the plane crash; the details for transfers are listed on the regional administration website.

Earlier it was reported that the families of all the victims would receive two million rubles from the insurance company Alfa Insurance, and payments would also be made by decision of the governors of the Moscow, Orenburg and Saratov regions, TASS recalls.

The branch of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation in the Orenburg region has already completed documents and assigned pensions to 15 dependents for nine deaths, of which 13 are children and two adults, reports the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. For two more children, documents are being processed by the Pension Fund of Russia in Moscow, and work on providing targeted assistance continues.

Since the start of the work of the joint task force of psychologists in Orsk, emergency psychological assistance has been provided to 124 people.

No victims of the crash have been identified yet.

Rescuers found more than 4.7 thousand of its wreckage at the crash site of the An-148 plane in the Moscow region, the search operation continues, TASS reports with reference to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation for the Moscow Region. “Today, 243 aircraft fragments have been discovered, and in total during the search operation - 4,771. The total search area was 50 hectares,” the department told the agency.

The head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Vladimir Puchkov, said that no one has been identified among the victims of the crash yet.

Now the main efforts of fire and rescue units are focused on inspecting the forest belt, collecting aircraft wreckage and personal belongings. All aircraft wreckage was delivered to the M. M. Gromov Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky for examination by the Interstate Aviation Committee.

At the scene of the tragedy, 87 bags with personal belongings were collected and handed over to employees of the Investigative Committee for identification. There are 673 people and 166 pieces of equipment working in the crash area.

The search operation will continue as long as necessary

According to Puchkov, the search operation area at the crash site has been expanded, and a preliminary decision on the timing of its continuation will be made on Sunday, February 18. “It [the search operation] will continue as long as necessary,” Interfax quotes the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The minister emphasized that all actions are being carried out in accordance with the schedule.

The An-148 passenger plane of Saratov Airlines, flying from Moscow to Orsk on February 11, disappeared from radar screens immediately after takeoff from Domodedovo Airport. According to preliminary data, it took off at 14:24 and disappeared from radar at 14:28. The wreckage of the aircraft was found near the village of Stepanovskoye, Ramensky district, Moscow region. 65 passengers and six crew members were killed.

Among the most likely causes of the plane crash, experts name a fire in the engine, a malfunction of the speed sensor, possible icing, as well as a pilot error.