A Russian flight attendant died as he tried to open an emergency exit and help passengers escape from the Aeroflot plane fire that killed 41 people, state media reported

City News "Moskva"/Handout via REUTERS

An Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger plane after it made an emergency landing at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, Russia, on Sunday.

• A flight attendant died as he tried to help passengers escape a burning Aeroflot plane after it was forced to make an emergency landing Sunday, Russian state media reported.
• Maksim Moiseev tried to help passengers at the back of the plane, staying on board as passengers escaped the plane and ultimately dying in the fire, TASS reported.
• Photos of the plane wreckage show the rear end of the plane was ravaged by the fire, and it reportedly took firefighters an hour to reach that part of the plane.
• 41 people people were killed when the plane burst into flames after an emergency landing in Moscow, and other passengers credited the crew with saving their lives.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

An Aeroflot flight attendant died as he tried to open an emergency exit and help passengers escape a burning plane after it made an emergency landing in a Moscow airport, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

A source told TASS that Maksim Moiseev was trying to help passengers seated at the back of the burning plane, staying on board as passengers were evacuated before ultimately dying in the fire.

"He was trying to open the rear exit door to quickly evacuate the passengers from the tail that was ablaze. He didn't succeed and started helping people to leave the plane," the source told TASS.

Read more: 41 people dead after an Aeroflot plane burst into flames during an emergency landing at a major Moscow airport

Moiseev was 22-years-old, according to a report from Sky News.

Authorities said they removed the bodies of 41 people, including two children, from the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft which caught on fire after making an emergency landing at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday evening. 78 passengers and crew were on the plane.

Russian Federation/Handout via REUTERS

A still from video footage by Russian Investigators shows a burnt-out Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger plane at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport

Video footage showed the plane bouncing along the runway before bursting into flames. Images of the plane show the front of the plane was largely intact, while the middle was burned out and the tail section was completely destroyed.

The UK's The Guardian newspaper reported that it took firefighters an hour to reach passengers who were seated at the back of the plane, where Moiseev was reportedly working.

Passengers have credited the actions of flight attendants with saving their lives.

Dmitry Khlebnikov, who was seated in the plane's 10th row, told journalists that the stewardesses "saved him," The Telegraph reported.

He said they "they brought people out of there and helped them get down the slide."

One flight attendant, Tatyana Kasatkina said that she grabbed passengers and pushed them down the emergency slide.

Russian Investigative Committee\TASS via Getty Images

An image from Russia's Investigative Committee shows the Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet-100 aircraft taken off the runway.

"I kicked the door out with my leg and pushed ot the passengers so as not to slow the evacuation," Kasatkina, 34, said.

Read more: Hero flight attendant says she kicked the plane door open and pushed passengers down the emergency slide to prevent further casualties in the Aeroflot inferno

"Just to hurry them up I grabbed each of them by the collar from the back."

Russia has launched a criminal investigation into the incident. The Associated Press reported that Russian investigators are focusing at three possible reasons for the fire: pilot error, equipment failing, or adverse weather.

Yevgeny Ditrikh, Russia's transport minister, said there were "no grounds" to suspend flying on the Russian-made Sukhoi planes, Reuters reported.