Par Roman POPOV AFP -

82 passengers and six crew members have been killed in a plane crash near Perm in the Ural Mountains of central Russia. Emergency workers say there are no survivors. Seven children, including a baby, are reported to have been on the flight from Moscow, which was operated by Aeroflot subsidiary, Aeroflot Nord. Monday has been declared a day of mourning in the region, as messages of condolence pour into Russia from across the world.

Most passengers on board the plane were Russians from Perm. The jet was also carrying 21 foreigners: 9 from Azerbaijan, 5 from Ukraine, and one each from France, Switzerland, Latvia, Italy, Germany, Turkey and the United States.

Fate intervened for 3 people with tickets on the flight.  Their connection from Barcelona was delayed, and they were forced to travel to Perm by train.

The exact number of passengers on the flight is still being verified.

Two emergency centres have been opened for the victims’ relatives; one at the airport in Perm and the other at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo-1 airport.

Relatives were flown from Moscow to Perm on Sunday evening to face the task of identifying bodies.

Information Hotlines are now available in Perm: +7 3422 294 98 91, +7 3422 294 99 28 and +7 342 263 11 36.  Trauma support line for relatives of victims are also available: +7 3422 245 24 24 and +7 495 626 3707.

The Boeing 737 fell in swampy wasteland near a residential area. It is reported to have exploded before hitting the ground, with debris scattered over 10,000 square metres.

The two flight recorders have been recovered and the investigators say they are looking at ten possible causes of the crash.  Preliminary reports say the crash may have been caused by one of the plane's engines catching fire.

Russia's transport minister, Igor Levitin, has ruled out a terrorist attack.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing an explosion and seeing clouds of black smoke coming from the plane.

More than 300 rescuers are working at the site. Emergency services say no people were killed or injured on the ground. Parts of the wreckage which were ablaze after impact have been extinguished.

A portion of the trans-Siberian railway, which passes near the crash site, was damaged, and service has been temporarily suspended.

Aeroflot Nord is a subsidiary of Aeroflot airlines – the largest air carrier in Russia. Aeroflot has the lowest accident rate in the country. Its last passenger plane crash was in 1994.

Based at Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport, the airline operates domestic and international passenger services to 96 cities in 49 countries.

Aeroflot cuts off co-operation with subsidiary

The airplane was operated by Aeroflot Nord, a subsidiary of Aeroflot airlines.

Aeroflot, Russia's largest air carrier, boasting the lowest accident rate in the country, has already attempted to distance itself from its subsidiary.

"We decided to cut off our co-operation with Aeroflot Nord. We have paid too big a price for providing our logo to the company," said the chairman and CEO of Aeroflot Valery Okulov.

'Pilot was behaving unusually'

The last person to speak to the pilot of the plane was the air traffic controller at Perm airport, Irak Bikbov.

Speaking to local media, he gave this account of the last minutes of Flight 821:

"The pilot was behaving in an unusual manner. He wasn't following my instructions. Something was happenning but he didn't want to say anything or was hiding something. He contacted us and I told him that it was time to begin the landing. However, the instruments indicated the plane began to gain height. It climbed from 600 metres to 900 metres. I told him to confirm his height, which he did but added that the plane continued to descend. In reality however, the plane went up to 1,200 metres so it was too close to the runway and too high for the plane to land. I instructed the pilot to make a second attempt. The crew confirmed they received the instructions, but did not follow them. I told them to turn right, but the pilot turned left. When they were around 600 metres, the pilot made a cry and then I saw a crash somewhere over the city. I understood they fell to the ground."

Plane had no previous accidents

The plane which crashed at Perm was 16 years old. The Boeing 737-500 jet was leased to Aeroflot Nord by an Irish company and was previously operated by a Chinese air carrier without incident. F

Both of the plane's 'black box' flight recorders have been recovered and their contents are being examined. Boeing has promised to provide technical assistance to the crash investigation.

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and other heads of state have expressed their condolences to the victims' families.