61 people killed after a passenger plane crashes in Russia

A passenger plane carrying 61 people crashed in southern Russia, killing everyone on board.

There were 55 passengers on FlyDubai flight FZ981 plus six crew members on board, according to The Associated Press and The New York Times, citing Russian emergency officials who spoke during a news conference.

The Boeing 737 "crashed as it came in to land at the airport in Rostov-on-Don" on Saturday morning, spokeswoman Marina Kostioukova told AFP.

Citing Tass, a Russian state news agency, The Associated Press reported the plane "hit the ground and broke into pieces" at the airport, about 600 miles south of Moscow.

Boeing tweeted that it is investigating the incident.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, but multiple news reports suggested that weather may have been a factor. The New York Times said it had been raining in the area of the landing, with "winds of about 25 miles per hour."

In a message on its official Facebook page, FlyDubai confirmed that flight FZ981 crashed, calling it a "tragic accident."

Postbyflydubai.

In October, Russian airliner Kogalymavia crashed in Egypt with 224 people on board about 25 minutes after taking off. Everyone on the St. Petersburg, Russia-bound flight was killed.