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Poroshenko declares mourning over il-76 crash

The president also ordered to call a meeting of the Council of National Security and Defence

KIEV, June 14 (ITAR-TASS) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has declared mourning for June 15 over the crash of an Ilyushin-76 military transport plane at Lugansk airport.

The president also ordered to call a meeting of the Council of National Security and Defence in connection with the latest developments in the east of the country.

"I declare Sunday a day of mourning for our military. It is a heavy loss not only for the families, but for the entire country," he said in a statement on his website.

Poroshenko ordered the Council of National Security and Defence to meet and pledged to give an adequate response in connection with the latest developments in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry earlier said that an Il-76 plane with servicemen, equipment and food on board was shot down at Lugansk airport overnight.

Later, the Ukrainian prosecutor's office confirmed that 49 servicemen died when a military transport plane was shot down in Lugansk.

"About 01:10 on June 14, 2014, when landing at Lugansk airport, an Il-76 military transport plane of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was downed by a shot from an antiaircraft missile system. On board the plane, aside from nine crewmembers, were 40 servicemen. All died," the press service of the prosecutor's office said.

Meanwhile, the press service of the Donetsk People's Republic told Itar-Tass on Saturday that a Su-24 bomber of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was shot down near Gorlovka, the Donetsk region.

Two Su-24s attacked the police department building in Gorlovka with cluster bombs. One of the planes was shot down from a portable antiaircraft gun, a source said. The plane fell outside the city. The pilot bailed out. Groups of defenders went to search for the pilot.

The shelling of the police building, currently the headquarters of the local militia (self defence force), killed one and injured five people. One of them is in heavy condiiton.