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Russian government calls for higher travel insurance coverage

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Russia's transportation minister proposed Thursday to raise the average amount of compensation to relatives of passengers who die in air accidents to $75,000.
MOSCOW, August 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's transportation minister proposed Thursday to raise the average amount of compensation to relatives of passengers who die in air accidents to $75,000.

At present, average compensation paid by the state to the relatives of passengers who died in air crashes is about 100,000 rubles ($3,900). Additional compensation is paid by air carriers under separate insurance policies.

Speaking at a government session, Igor Levitin said the financial responsibility of transportation companies for passenger safety should be raised to world levels and apply to all means of transportation. He also said the Transportation Ministry was already drafting a law to this effect.

Russia has been plagued by a series of rail and air crashes recently. Passenger plane accidents in Russia and other CIS countries last year resulted in 412 deaths, or 56% of the total number of people killed in air crashes globally.

On July 9, 2006, an A-310 plane owned by Siberia-based S-7 Airlines, crashed after landing in Irkutsk leaving 124 people dead. The plane had flown from Moscow to the Siberian city, a popular tourist destination close to Lake Baikal.

A total of 170 people died when a Tu-154 operated by Pulkovo Airlines crashed during turbulent weather on August 22 last year, near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on a flight from the Russian Black Sea resort of Anapa to St. Petersburg.

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