16 Russian soldiers injured in plane crash

A plane carrying Russian soldiers crashed early Monday, seriously injuring 16, the defence ministry said, quoted by Russian news agencies.

The Ilyushin-18 plane carrying 32 passengers and seven crew made an emergency landing around 4:45 am Moscow time (01:45 GMT) in the eastern Siberian region of Sakha.

Everyone survived but 16 received serious injuries, RIA Novosti agency reported, citing the defence ministry, adding at least 20 of those on board required hospitalisation.

It was not immediately clear whether the plane was owned by the military.

A source in the defence ministry told Interfax that the plane had not given a distress signal and that the flight took place in harsh weather conditions that could have led to icing of the plane.