Five killed as plane skids off runway and catches fire in Ukraine
At least five people have been killed after a passenger plane carrying football fans skidded off the runway and burst into flames at Donetsk's Serhiy Prokofiev International Airport in the Ukraine.
The Antonov AN-24 plane is reported to have been carrying more than 49 people and was an internal charter flight from the Black Sea tourist resort of Odessa.
The plane was operated by the small Southern Airlines company, which mostly runs domestic flights out of Odessa.
According to the Guardian, regional officials confirmed the twin-engine turboprop was mainly carrying supporters travelling to a Champions League football match in Donetsk, between Shakhtar Donetsk and Germany's Borussia Dortmund.
The match opened with a minute's silence in memory of those who died.
The aircraft attempted to make an emergency landing, but overshot the runway and came to rest about 700m (2,300ft) away, before catching fire.
Twelve people were injured in the accident, and five lost their lives.
According to the BBC, one passenger told Ukraine's Kanal 5 TV: "We collided with the ground, then the plane opened up like a tin can.
"Thanks to the crack that formed in the fuselage, we were able to get out of the plane before it caught fire."
The survivors were later taken by bus to the airport, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
Preliminary reports have indicated the plane may have suffered engine failure upon landing.
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