KIEV, March 26. /TASS/. A pilot died when an Antonov An-2 multi-role light utility biplane crashed near the city of Lutsk in the Volyn Region, north-western Ukraine, on Thursday, local media reports have said.

The reports said the plane was carrying contraband cigarettes from the neighboring Belarus. However, a technical fault occurred during the take-off and the pilot attempted to land the plane safely.

The plane hit power lines and damaged the roof of one of the houses before crashing into the ground.

Police in the Lviv Region in western Ukraine earlier detained a group of criminals involved in shipping contraband goods through Ukraine’s border with Poland with the use of a hang-glider. An investigation into how the smugglers had managed to cross into the airspace of Ukraine and NATO many times is currently ongoing.