ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Feb 14 2008

Air crash at Yerevan airport

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. The Yerevan airport `Zvartnots’ has
been closed as a result of a crash of a passenger airplane that
belonged to the Belavia airlines (Belarus).

Press Secretary of the RA Civil Aviation Department Gayane Davtyan
reported that the airport will be closed as long as the investigation
of the air crash is conducted on the runway. All the other airplanes
will have to land at the Shirak airport in Gyumri.

The airplane crashed this morning while taking off.

Eighteen passengers and three crew members were injured. Most of them
received first medical aid on the spot. -0–

No one killed in air crash in Yerevan
YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. A passenger airplane that was to carry
out a Yerevan-Minsk flight crashed while taking off at the Yerevan
airport.

`At 4:15 a.m. local time, while taking off the plane caught fire as a
result of contingency,’ reported Gevorg Abramyan, Press Secretary of
the International Airports Armenia Company.
He said that the fire was put out by emergency service officers.

He also reported that Eighteen passengers and three crew members were
injured. Most of them received first medical aid on the spot.

No fatal cases have been reported.-0–