8 die in plane crash after takeoff from Chisinau

An AN-32 cargo plane has crashed after taking off from the Chisinau Airport, killing all the crew – three citizens of Moldova and five of Ukraine. Sources from the Interior Ministry have told Info-Prim Neo the accident occurred on Friday at 22.15, local time. The cargo aircraft performing a charter flight took off from Chisinau to Antaliya, Turkey, and then it was bound for Sudan. The plane belonged to a Sudanese air company. After the takeoff the plane tried to fly over the village of Bacioi and to land on the track of the old Chisinau airport, yet its wing touched the pillars along the track: the plane took fire and exploded. The aircraft carried a large amount of unspecified oil. The fire was being contained by at least 9 fire trucks during several hours. In the end it was but a pile of melted metal. Asked by Info-Prim Neo, the Ambulance Service coordinator, Eufalia Negreata, has said the rescue call was received at 22.22. Eight ambulance teams reached the place, spending three hours there, yet six members of the crew were founded carbonized. Other two members were found later, also carbonized. President Vladimir Voronin, Chisinau’s mayor Dorin Chirtoaca, and other officials and law-enforcers went to the crash place. On January 9, 2007, because of low visibility, the crew of a АN-26 plane belonging to the Aeriantur-M company from Moldova died, as their plane crashed near the airport of the Iraqi town of Balad. 9 crew – citizens of Moldova – and 29 Turkish passengers died. A probe commission found the crash happened because the plane hit the ground.