Russian Defense Ministry has reported that Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane, crashed not far from Moscow on Tuesday “due to an engine failure” that occurred during take-off.

“At about 1:00 p.m. Moscow time, an IL-76 military transport aircraft crashed during takeoff for a scheduled flight in the Ivanovo region,” the Defense Ministry was quoted as saying by Russian state-run news agency.

According to the official statement, there were a total of 15 individuals on the aircraft – eight crew members and seven passengers. The accident took place in Ivanovo Region, which is located approximately 250km to the east of Moscow, Russia‘s capital city.

The Defense Ministry mentioned in its statement that as per the reports on-site, the disaster resulted from an engine fire during the aircraft’s takeoff.

An online circulating video, supposedly shot by a bystander, depicts the airplane flying at a low altitude while one of its four turbofan engines is engulfed in flames.

Based on media accounts, it was reported that the pilot of the plane attempted to head back to the Ivanovo Severny air base but encountered difficulties in doing so, eventually crashing the plane near a cemetery.

The Il-76, a heavy transport aircraft, first flew in 1971 and was operational in the military by 1974. As per available information, approximately 950 planes of this model were manufactured by 2015. With a payload capacity of 47 tons, it can transport up to 140 fully equipped paratroopers over a maximum distance of 4,200km.