1st LD Writethru: Russian military transport aircraft An-22 crashes with 7 on board

MOSCOW, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Russian military transport aircraft crashed roughly 250 km northeast of Moscow on Tuesday during a test flight after undergoing maintenance, said the Russian Defense Ministry.

"Today, in Ivanovo region, the military transport aircraft An-22 crashed during a test flight after undergoing maintenance. The aircraft fell in an uninhabited area," the ministry said in a statement.

Local emergency services told TASS that the An-22 was carrying seven people on board when it crashed.

According to the ministry, rescuers are already en route to the crash site, and a commission from the Russian Aerospace Forces is heading to the scene to establish the full circumstances of the crash. Enditem