Russian jet crashes over Ukraine

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A Russian commercial jet carrying 170 people -- many of them children -- crashed in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, killing all on board, emergency officials said.

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.

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.

Anatoly Simushin, deputy director of the St. Petersburg-based Pulkovo, told reporters there were 45 children on board the plane, The Associated Press reported.

Flight 612 was en route from the Black Sea resort town of Anapa to St. Petersburg.

Russian news agency Interfax said the Tu-154 aircraft crashed shortly after 3:30 p.m. (1130 GMT).

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/22/russia.crash/index.html