British woman 'killed in Russian plane crash'

British woman 'killed in Russian plane crash'

Among the dead was Irek Minnikhanov, a son of the president of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, as Tim Allman reports.

A British woman was among the 50 people killed when a plane crashed at an airport in the Russian city of Kazan on Sunday, Russian officials have said. 

All 44 passengers and six crew members died when the Boeing 737 exploded on impact during landing, officials added.

The 53-year-old woman has been named by Russia's emergencies ministry but the British Foreign Office (FCO) has not confirmed her identity. 

The FCO did confirm a British national was among the dead.

"We are in touch with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to those affected," it added, in a statement. 

Investigators are looking at whether the crash was caused by a technical failure or crew error. 

They are also said to be exploring whether rain on the night of the crash or poor quality fuel were contributing factors. 

Among the dead was Irek Minnikhanov, a son of the president of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, according to the official passenger list. 

Two of the victims were children. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin "expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims in this horrible disaster", his spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the news agency Interfax as saying. 

Kazan lies about 720km (450 miles) east of Moscow, from where the plane had taken off. 

The BBC's Daniel Sandford in Moscow said that although some of Russia's biggest airlines now have very good reputations, frequent crashes by smaller operators meant the country had one of the worst air safety records in the world.