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Eleven survivors of Tyumen air crash still in hospital

Two of them have been transferred to a general ward and another nine remain in a steadily heavy condition

TYUMEN, April 8 (Itar-Tass) — A total of eleven people who survived the crash of an ATR-72 jet April 2 remain at the regional clinical hospital in Tyumen, western Siberia.

Two of them have been transferred to a general ward and another nine remain in a steadily heavy condition.

Physicians say that the condition of one more survivor, Nikolai Ignatyev who was evacuated to Moscow, is heavy, too.

"It's too early to make any forecasts until these people get over the difficult period," Andrei Kudryakov, the chief of the regional department of public health told reporters.

"An average duration of the acute period is ten days and after the patients feel at least a little bit better, they will face a long period of work with psychologists," he said. "Many of them will need repeat surgeries for restoring the vital bodily functions."

In the meantime, people in Tyumen continue bringing flowers to a makeshift memorial in one of the most highly respected places in the city -- the 'candle' on Commemoration Square where candles are currently lit all around the clock.

Saturday, the square so what was obviously the most silent meeting in the history of Tyumen. Without any speeches or orchestra melodies, people brought flowers and wreaths to the city's Eternal Flame to commemorate the World War II soldiers who had died in the Tyumen hospitals.

About 500 people laid wreaths and flowers at the Eternal Flame and also put up small tables with the names of last Monday's crash victims.

Also, people continue taking flowers to the road that leads to the airport and to the remembrance cross installed at the spot of the jet's crash.