TEHRAN, Nov. 03 (MNA) – An An-12 plane crashed near Russia's Irkutsk on Wednesday, killing at least five people, local media cited the Russian Emergencies Ministry on Wednesday as saying.

According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the reason for the plane crash could be the failure of the aircraft or poor weather conditions.

There were five crew members and two passengers on board, the ministry spokesperson told Sputnik.

Earlier, the ministry confirmed that the plane went missing from radars, saying there were eight people on board.

The ministry later said that the crash site had been detected by rescuers as being near Irkutsk, and the plane caught fire.

Commenting on the possible reasons for the plane crash, the Emergencies Ministry spokesperson suggested they could be "plane failure or poor weather".

A source told Sputnik that the missing plane could have been operated by the Belarussian company "Grodno". The company later confirmed to Sputnik that it carries out flights in Russia and one of its planes could have been in Siberia, but the reports are still being examined.

KI/PR