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No grounds for SSJ 100s aircraft operations suspension, says Russian transport minister

On May 5, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane carrying 73 passengers and five crewmembers bound for Murmansk caught fire after emergency landing, the accident killed 41

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. There are no grounds to suspend the operation of the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft, Transport Minister Yevgeny Dietrich, who heads the state commission on emergency investigation, told reporters on Monday.

"There are no grounds (to suspend flights - TASS)," he said when asked a respective question.

Earlier reports said that Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev requested to set up a state commission to investigate into the circumstances of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger plane crash at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

On May 5, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane operated by Aeroflot carrying 73 passengers and five crewmembers bound for Murmansk caught fire after emergency landing at Sheremetyevo shortly after the takeoff. The accident killed 41, nine more were hospitalized.

An investigation has been opened under Article 263.3 of the Russian Criminal Code (air safety violations leading to two or more deaths by negligence). Several causes for the crash are being considered, including the pilots’ incompetence, a technical malfunction, and weather conditions.