Russian Plane Carrying Parachutists Crashes, 16 Killed

The wreckage of the L-410 plane is seen at the crash site near the town of Menzelinsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia October 10, 2021. (Russia’s Emergencies Ministry/Handout via Reuters)
The wreckage of the L-410 plane is seen at the crash site near the town of Menzelinsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia October 10, 2021. (Russia’s Emergencies Ministry/Handout via Reuters)
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Russian Plane Carrying Parachutists Crashes, 16 Killed

The wreckage of the L-410 plane is seen at the crash site near the town of Menzelinsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia October 10, 2021. (Russia’s Emergencies Ministry/Handout via Reuters)
The wreckage of the L-410 plane is seen at the crash site near the town of Menzelinsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia October 10, 2021. (Russia’s Emergencies Ministry/Handout via Reuters)

A plane carrying a group of parachute jumpers crashed in the Russian region of Tatarstan on Sunday, killing 16 people and injuring six, the Emergencies Ministry said.

The aircraft, which came down near the city of Menzelinsky, had been carrying 20 parachutists and two crew members. Six people were in a serious condition, the Health Ministry said.

A Let L-410 Turbolet twin-engine short-range transport aircraft, the plane was owned by an aeroclub in the city of Menzelinsk, the TASS news agency reported.

Cosmonauts use the area for training and the aeroclub has hosted local, European and world championships, the club's director Ravil Nurmukhametov was quoted by TASS as saying.

The state-run Cosmonaut Training Facility has suspended its ties with the aeroclub pending an investigation, TASS cited a source as saying.

The RIA agency cited local authorities as saying one of the engines could have failed.

Photographs of some of the parachutists on board posing in kit or with a plane were circulated on the REN TV channel and on social media.

Russian aviation safety standards have been tightened in recent years but accidents continue to happen, particularly in remote regions.

An ageing Antonov An-26 transport plane crashed in the Russian far east last month killing six people. All 28 people on board an Antonov An-26 twin-engine turboprop died in a crash in Kamchatka in July.



Russian Drone Strike Kills 2, Wounds 14 in Ukraine's Odesa

A view shows an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Nina Liashonok
A view shows an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Nina Liashonok
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Russian Drone Strike Kills 2, Wounds 14 in Ukraine's Odesa

A view shows an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Nina Liashonok
A view shows an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Nina Liashonok

Two people were killed and at least 14 wounded when a Russian drone smashed into a residential high-rise in Ukraine's Black Sea city of Odesa, authorities said on Saturday.

Three children were among the wounded in the overnight attack, with one in critical condition, said regional Governor Oleh Kiper.

Footage posted by the State Emergency Service showed firefighters battling a blaze and rushing residents down a dark stairwell in the 21-storey building.

Separately, authorities of Ukraine's southern Kherson region said one person was killed and three others were wounded in Russian strikes over the past day.

"Russian troops targeted critical and social infrastructure and residential areas in the region," Kherson's governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram early on Saturday.

Russia has stepped up drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks as diplomatic efforts to end the nearly three-and-a-half-year-old war have stalled.