A RusAir airline passenger jet crashed in heavy fog and burst into flames late Monday on a highway in northwestern Russia.
44 people were killed while 8 were in critical condition.
The plane crashed on its final approach to the airport in Petrozavodsk, making a crash landing one to two kilometers (about a mile) short of the runway, breaking apart and then bursting into flames.
The runway’s high-intensity lights which is supposed to be deployed at times of low visibility had failed.
It was unclear if the plane had attempted to land on the road, or just happened to fall there.
Petrozavodsk is in Karelia province, near the Finnish border, about 400 miles (640 kilometers) northwest of Moscow.
This is a disaster and I am very sad and sorry for the victims, their families and friends.
