Three people were killed and dozens injured when a Russian jet caught fire and exploded when it taxied on a snowy runway in Siberia, according to the Associated Press.
The accident took place Saturday, and involved a passenger jet that was carrying 124 people. In addition to the three dead, 43 people were injured, with six of them seriously burned, AP reported.
A fire started in one of the plane’s engines as it began its takeoff, and that fire caused an explosion that decimated the Tu-154 jet. The flames from the explosion covered an area that was 11,000 square feet.
Most of the passengers and crew were evacuated before the plane exploded, leaving only a tail section and part of its wing left after the fireball.
The jet, owned by the regional Kogalymavia airline, was flying to Moscow from Surgut, a town in Siberia.
The plane’s passengers included the Russian pop group Na-Na, which was popular in the 1990s.