A Russian military cargo plane crashed Friday, killing at least four crewmembers and leaving several others injured, officials said.
The heavylift Il-76 cargo plane went down in the southwestern Ryazan region. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the plane suffered an engine problem that forced the crew to crash-land it on the ground, The Associated Press said.
The regional administration said that four of its crew were killed and a further five were injured when the plane slammed into a field just outside the city of Ryazan. Officials said that those injured were hospitalized in grave condition.
The four-engine Il-76 was designed in the 1970s and has served as the main heavylift cargo plane for the Soviet and Russian air force. It has also been widely used by many countries around the world.
