MOSCOW/ST. PETERSBURG, December 16 (RIA Novosti) - A trainer plane has exploded in midair over a rural area near St. Petersburg, killing the crew, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Saturday.
"The Yak-52 plane exploded in midair, with the cause as yet unknown. Both the pilot and the co-pilot died," a ministry spokesman said.
The agency's regional branch, however, reported that the accident claimed 3 lives.