Russia Mourns After Plane Crash Kills 50 People

Flags flew at half-mast outside Russia's Kazan airport on Monday (November 18), as Russians mourned 50 killed in a plane crash.

A Boeing 737 airliner crashed on Sunday (November 17) as it attempted to land at Kazan airport 500 miles east of Moscow.

The UK Foreign Office has said that a Briton was among the dead. Russian media reports identified the British national as Donna Bull, 53, who was working as an educational consultant at Bellerbys College in Cambridge.

Charred wreckage scattered over a wide area was still seen on the runway as emergency teams and rescue services continue to work on the airfield.

The Tatarstan airlines flight from Moscow had been trying to abort its landing in order to make a second approach when it crashed, killing all 44 passengers and six crew on board, emergency officials said.

Flight U363 took off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport at 6:25 pm (1425 GMT) and crashed just over an hour later, emergency officials said. The leased plane was 23 years old.

There had been no technical problems reported with the plane prior to the flight and regular maintenance and troubleshooting between flights had been conducted, the news agency Interfax cited the airlines' press office as saying.

According to local reports, the Boeing lost altitude quickly and its fuel tank exploded on impact.

There were high winds and above-zero temperatures over the airport in central Russia. There is no information as to when flights to and from the Kazan airport will resume.

Presented by Adam Justice