At least 7 people were injured after a Russian military plane caught fire while landing at an airport east of Prague on Wednesday, May 23.

      According to emergency services, the Antonov An-30 aircraft skidded off the runway while landing at the Caslav Military Airport and then caught fire. On the whole, there were 23 people on board - 14 Russians and 9 Czechs. 

       According to some sources in Russian militant structures, the incident took place due to collapsing of one of the plane's nosewheels on landing, putting the aircraft on its nose. All the passengers were able to leave the plane, then An-30 was completely destroyed by fire. As a result, 5 Russians and 2 Czechs were seriously injured and were immediately taken to the hospitals.

       Military investigators are currently heading for the incident's place. Russia's Investigation Committe has already filed a criminal case under article 351 (Russian Criminal Code) - flight rules violation.

      The flight of the Russian military plane over the Czech territory was held within the framework of the Decree about an open air space, when military experts from the both sides are allowed to exercise control of the compliance with arms limitation and disarmament. Within that program, Russian planes can flight over NATO's countries, while NATO's planes can do the same over the Russian territory. 

Sources: Lenta.ru (1) (2) RIA Novosti Image: spb.rbc.ru