Russian plany carrying 39 people makes emergency landing, 16 critical

The Russian military says that one of its planes with 39 people on board crash-landed in the far north of the country, injuring 32.

The military said the plane, an Il-18 turboprop, crash-landed on Monday near the town of Tiksi in the Yakutia region on the Laptev Sea in the Arctic.

It said in a statement that helicopters evacuated people from the crash site and that 32 were hospitalised, including 16 in grave condition.

Local officials in Yakutia said strong winds were the likely cause of the incident.

The Il-18 is a four-engine passenger plane designed in the 1950s, and some are still in service with the Russian military for transport duties.