[Anthony T]

From the BBC

"A passenger plane has crashed near the central Russian city of Perm, Russian emergency officials say.

The Boeing-737 was en route from Moscow and had 88 passengers and crew on board. All are feared dead.

Communications with the plane were lost as it was making a landing approach, officials say.

The wreckage was later found outside Perm, which is located in the Urals. Rescuers are at the site. The cause of the crash is not known.

The plane burst into flames upon impact, officials say.

"According to the latest information, the airplane fell into a ravine near the city limits," investigator Vladimir Markin told Russia's Ria-Novosti news agency.

He said that "by preliminary information" there were no survivors.

Russia's Emergency Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova earlier that the contact with the plane was lost as it was landing at 0321 Moscow time (0921 AEST).

There was no indication of a terrorist attack, she said.

The plane reportedly belonged to Russia's Aeroflot airlines company. Officials say there were seven children on board.

Rescue teams and investigators are now working at the crash site, some 1,200km (750 miles) east of Moscow."