Passenger Boeing 738 from Dubai crashes in Rostov-on-Don

Flydubai flight FZ981 has crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don killing all 62 passengers and crew on board. The flight was en route from Dubai and crashed during a landing approach.

Air-traffic control and local emergency services confirmed that the Boeing 737-800 jet crashed near the runway during a second approach in conditions of poor visibility.

“According to preliminary data, the Boeing 738 crashed in poor visibility conditions, some 50-100 meters left of the runway,” the source said.

“The plane, according to preliminary data, crashed during the second approach,” the source told Interfax.

All crew and passengers on board the plane were killed in the crash, according to the regional Emergencies Ministry. According to preliminary reports there were 62 people on board, including seven crew members.

“During the landing approach a Boeing-737 crashed. It had 55 passengers on board. All of them died,” a regional spokesman told TASS.

Another source told RIA that all passengers on board were Russians, while the flight crew consisted of foreigners.

CCTV camera footage posted on YouTube claims to have captured the moment of the explosion as the aircraft impacted the ground. However, its authenticity could not be immediately verified.

Emergency crews are working at the scene of the crash and have already put out the fire, according to a TASS source.

The airport is to remain closed until at least 9:00am Moscow time. As a result at least six flights have been delayed, two of which were supposed to leave for St. Petersburg, while the others were due to arrive in Moscow. The inbound flights are getting rerouted to Krasnodar.

According to a LifeNews source, the plane failed to land at the first approach and was forced to make a reentry. However, at this point the aircraft's tail allegedly hit the ground. The Boeing then crashed and caught fire.

Flydubai confirmed that they are aware of an “incident involving our flight FZ981 from Dubai to Rostov On Don.”

“We are investigating further details and will publish an update once more information is available,” the airline added.

The Emergencies Ministry has opened up a hotline while a team of psychologists has been sent to help the grieving relatives.