Former Soviet republics have had some of the world's worst air traffic safety records. Experts blame that record on the age of the aircraft, weak government controls, poor pilot training and a cost-cutting mentality, according to USA Today.
The recent news of an airplane skidding passed the runway and overturning in Donetsk on Wednesday won't help that reputation.
The incident resulted in four people being pronounced dead, two being injured and the fate of two other passengers still unknown, reported Associated Press.
"The small, Soviet-designed AN-24 plane was carrying 45 people from the Black Sea port of Odessa, according to emergency officials. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash-landing, Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Inna Sedova told The Associated Press.
She also confirmed the Associated Press's earlier report by stating "four people died, two were injured and the fate of two others remains unknown."
Donetsk Governor Andrei Shishatsky said that rescuers had located one of the missing people in the wreckage of the plane but were still unsure whether the person was alive, the Interfax news agency reported. Interfax also quotes surviving passenger Dmitry Verbitsky as saying that the plane had caught fire during the crash-landing, but it was quickly put out, according to USA Today.
Shishatsky spokeswoman Rimma Fil told the Associated Press that most of the passengers were likely heading for the Wednesday night Champions League football match between Ukraine's Shakhtar and Borussia Dortmund. The match opened with a minute of silence in memory of the dead.
It is still unknown what caused the fire.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
