This file photo dated January 2005 shows an An-24 plane at a Moscow airport. (Xinhua/File)

    MOSCOW, March 16 (Xinhuanet) -- A Russian aircraft crashed in Russia's far north at 1100 GMT on Wednesday, killing at least 29 of its passengers and crew-members, Russian Emergencies Ministry officials said.

    According to ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov, the An-24 planemade several approaches for an emergency landing before finally crashing at an airport near the oil port of Varandei in the Nenetsautonomous region off Russia's Arctic coast, some 1,800 kilometersnortheast of Moscow.

    Among the 45 passengers and seven crew members, 29 were reported killed and 23 survived, 10 of whom are in a grave condition.

    Russia's Transport Ministry earlier said all 49 people on boardthe plane died in the crash. Later the Emergencies Ministry revised the report by saying 23 survivors had contacted the ministry by a satellite phone.

    The plane belonging to the Kemerovo flight squadron was carrying oil workers from Lukoil oil company en route from Usinsk in the Komi republic to Varandei when it carried out an emergencylanding and crashed. Enditem