Five people died when a civilian aircraft crashed near Zhulyany airport in Ukraine Sunday, the country's Channel Five cited preliminary reports as saying.

The aircraft which was on a charter flight from the Czech Republic disappeared from radar contact at around 5:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. GMT), crashing into a field 300 meters away from the airport killing the two pilots and three passengers, all Czech nationals.

But Natalia Alyushina, spokesperson for the Ukrainian State Aviation Administration, said there were two pilots and four passengers on board the aircraft designed to carry five passengers.

Rescue teams are working at the crash scene, Emergencies Minister Nestor Shufrych said adding that there were no Ukrainians among the dead.

The Czech CTK news agency quoted witnesses as saying that the aircraft exploded in mid-air as it was coming into land.

RIA Novosti


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