Funerals for the St. Petersburg residents killed in the crash Tuesday will be held no earlier than a week from now, the governor of Russia's second city said Wednesday.
The Tu-154 crashed in eastern Ukraine en route from a Russian Black Sea resort to St. Petersburg. The St. Petersburg-based Pulkovo Airlines, which owns the plane, said that all 170 people on board, including 45 children, were killed. Other sources suggested that 171 passengers and crew lost their lives.
"As of this moment, about 145 people have expressed their intention to fly to Donetsk, and tickets are now being issued. A plane will fly at 5 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. [Moscow time, 1 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. GMT]," Vasily Naletenkov said.
He said the plane could carry up to 150 people, including doctors and psychologists, adding that all those who asked to fly were accommodated.
Governor Valentina Matviyenko said 133 people from St. Petersburg were killed in the crash. She also said 100,000 rubles ($3,700) will be allocated from the federal budget for each passenger, also promising compensation from city coffers. The airline is also expected to compensate the families.
The plane was almost completely destroyed after it hit the ground and exploded. Media reports said a small section of the fuselage, the tail, and the engines were the only parts found relatively intact at the scene. Some eyewitnesses said the plane was already ablaze as it came down, but experts working at the scene could not confirm it.
Citing preliminary reports, a spokesman for Pulkovo Airlines, which until the tragedy had an excellent safety record, said earlier Wednesday that five foreigners - from the Netherlands, Germany, France and Finland - lost their lives.
