Seven people – including three Russians – have died in a cargo plane crash in Iraq, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Saturday. The plane was flying to Baghdad International Airport when it lost radio contact on Thursday.
Iraqi police said no shooting was reported at the time of the crash. Foreign Ministry spokesman Igor Lyakin-Frolov said the An-12 plane belonging to the British Gulf International company crashed not far from the city of Fallujah, about 70 kilometres from Baghdad. “Six members of the crew and one passenger died, three of them were Russians. The crew also consisted of a Belarusian, two Ukrainians and an Indian citizen,” he said. The Russian Embassy in Iraq is in touch with the company and the Iraqi government to investigate the cause of the crash.