Russian jet crash kills all 170 on board

Official: Fire reported on plane before it disappeared from radar

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A Russian commercial jet carrying 170 people -- many of them children -- crashed in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, killing all on board, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry reported.

The Tupolev Tu-154, belonging to Pulkovo Airlines, went down shortly after the pilot reported a fire on board and heavy turbulence, the Ukrainian Emergency Situations Ministry said.

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At least 30 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Donetsk in a hard-to-reach area, the ministry said. (来源：最老牌的英语学习网站 EnglishCN.com)

Forty-five passengers were children, Pulkovo Airlines said, and 10 victims were crew members. (来源：EnglishCN英语问答中心[e问e答])

Flight 612 was en route from the Black Sea resort town of Anapa to St. Petersburg. (来源：英语聊天室 http://chat.EnglishCN.com)

"At 3:37 p.m. Moscow time (11:37 GMT) the plane sent an SOS signal, and at 3:39 it disappeared from radar screens," emergency ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova told Interfax. (来源：EnglishCN英语问答中心[e问e答])

Witnesses reported there was no explosion before the crash, she said.

The plane went down near Ukraine's border with Russia, and Ukrainian and Russian emergency personnel responded.

The emergency ministry said the plane's landing gear would not work when the pilot tried to make an emergency landing about 20 minutes into the flight. (来源：最老牌的英语学习网站 EnglishCN.com)

Ten minutes later, the pilot sent a distress signal, reporting a fire on board and heavy turbulence, said Ukrainian emergency ministry spokesman Ihor Krol. (来源：英语麦当劳－英语快餐EnglishCN.com)

The plane was on fire when the pilot made a belly landing, officials said. (来源：专业英语学习网站 http://www.EnglishCN.com)

The ministry said investigators are looking into the possibility that the plane was hit by lightning.

Weather forecasters reported thunderstorms and lightning in the area at the time of the crash.

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According to Interfax, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov to set up a commission to examine the crash. (来源：英语麦当劳－英语杂志 www.EnglishCN.com)

Plane is workhorse of Russian fleet

The three-engine Tu-154 is the workhorse of Russia's commercial fleet, carrying about half of all Russian air passengers. (来源：英语麦当劳－英语快餐EnglishCN.com)

It was designed as the Soviet counterpart to the Boeing 727 and the European-made Trident, but with the added ability to operate from short, rough runways. About 1,000 were produced. (来源：英语麦当劳－英语杂志 www.EnglishCN.com)

Although a popular aircraft, it has had a checkered history and has been involved in at least 30 air disasters since it went into service in 1968. (来源：英语e问e答 http://ask.englishcn.com)

The former Soviet air fleet has been plagued by chronic safety problems since the 1991 collapse of the country.

Experts have blamed poor maintenance, safety violations and cost-cutting for a high accident rate. (来源：英语博客 http://space.englishcn.com)