TOMSK, Russia, July 11 (UPI) -- At least five people were killed when an engine fire on a Russian passenger plane forced it to ditch in a river in western Siberia, officials said.
Another 30 people were injured when the Antonov An-24 airliner with 36 people aboard ditched in the Ob River Monday as a result of the fire, RIA Novosti reported.
The plane was en route from Tomsk to Surgut, in Russia's Tyumen region, when the fire broke out. Police were conducting an investigation to see if the incident was caused by a breach of air transport safety rules.
The plane partially disintegrated in the water landing, ITAR-Tass reported.
"According to preliminary information, the accident took place because an engine had caught on fire," an official told ITAR-Tass.
The Antonov turbo prop first flew some 50 years ago and hundreds remain in service, mostly in African and former Soviet countries. The 44-seat plane was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union.
