MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. An Il-76 military-transport plane crash-landed in the Central Russian city of Ryazan on Friday due to an engine problem, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The accident occurred when the plane was performing a training flight.

"While performing a training flight with no cargo on board, the crew detected an engine malfunction and decided to perform an off-runway landing," the ministry said.

Injured crew members have been rushed to hospitals, the ministry said.

Earlier, the press service of the Russian emergencies ministry’s Ryazan Region department said the plane crashed at approximately 3:00 Moscow time. Five people were injured and two killed. At the same time, doctors said four people were rushed to two different hospitals in Ryazan. A fire broke out at the crash site, but was promptly extinguished.

A TASS correspondent reported from the scene that the plane crashed on a field in the immediate vicinity of several houses. No open fire is seen at the moment. The wreckage is now being damped down. The territory has been cordoned off.