According to Russian state media, the plane had just unloaded its cargo at Mirnyi airport before taking off and crashing 25 km (15 miles) away.

The plane, called Ilyushin, came down in a deserted area and there were no casualties on the ground, said local officials.

A special commission of the Russian Interior Ministry flew to the crash site to investigate the cause of the accident.

Bodies of the 11 crewmembers from plane have been recovered from the scene, reports said.