A Russian military transport plane with 15 people on board has crashed on takeoff, officials say

AP:  A Russian military transport plane with 15 people on board crashed on Tuesday while taking off from an air base in western Russia, the Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said the Il-76 aircraft with eight crew and seven passengers on board crashed in the Ivanovo region. It didn't say whether there were any survivors.

The ministry's statement said that an engine fire during takeoff was the likely cause of the crash.

The four-engine Il-76 is a heavy-lift transport plane that has been in service since the 1970s with the Soviet and then Russian air force.

Tuesday’s crash came on a day when the Defense Ministry reported dozens of attacks on Russia by Ukrainian drones. In the past, Ukrainian drones hit some military air bases deep inside Russia.

Military experts have noted that as the number of Russian military flights increased sharply during the fighting in Ukraine, so did the crashes.