posted 10-10-2021 08:30 AM               

"Six people were rescued, 16 were taken out without signs of life," the ministry said.

The ministry had earlier said 15 people died and that the aircraft was carrying 23 people.

While the Menzelinsk club organizes skydiving experiences for amateurs it has also hosted championships and training sessions for cosmonauts...

According to Interfax, the plane belonged to the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy of Russia, which describes itself as a sports and defense organization.

The organization was created in the 1920s and Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man to travel to space in 1961, has trained on its airfields.

The head of the Menzelinsk parachuting club said that it was not to blame for the accident.

"We are the best, we are among the top five clubs," Ravil Nurmekhametov told TASS news agency, adding that the club had hosted European and World championships.

"Cosmonauts train here," he said.

TASS cited a source as saying that the state Cosmonauts Training Centre has suspended its work with the club pending the investigation.