Russian cargo plane crashes at Syria base

Syria, Mar 07: A Russian military transport plane has crashed in Syria killing more than 30 people, the defense ministry said in a statement.

There were 26 passengers and 6 crew, the ministry said in a statement carried by RIA Novosti agency. It did not specify whether all of them were in the military.

"The reason for the crash according to preliminary information could have been a technical fault," the ministry said, adding that the plane had not come under fire according to a report from the ground.

An investigation is now underway. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the victims' relatives.