A passenger plane has crashed near the capital of the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent. The Russian news agency, Itar-Tass, says all those on board the aircraft have been killed. It was not immediately known how many people were on board the flight, but reports say it would normally carry about 30 people. Details are still coming in, and there are conflicting reports as to what type of plane was involved in the crash. Reuters news agency quotes Uzbekistan's emergency services as saying the plane was the Yak-40, capable of carrying up to 32 passengers. Itar-Tass says it was a twin-engine turboprop An-24 with 37 people on board. Reports say the accident occurred at about 1940 local time (1440GMT). On Tue, 13 Jan 2004, Ian Caldwell wrote: > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3393845.stm >