Huge fireball as Boeing 737 plane crashes in Russia killing 62

A plane carrying 62 people has crashed in Russia killing everyone on board.

The FlyDubai aircraft caught fire earlier today while landing in strong winds in Rostov-on-Don.

A list published by the Emergencies Ministry showed the Boeing 737-800 was carrying 55 passengers, most of them Russian, and seven crew members, whose nationalities were not immediately known.

Emergencies Ministry members work at the crash site (Picture: Reuters)

Russian emergency fire trucks are seen among the wreckage (Picture: AP)

In a statement, FlyDubai confirmed that Flight 981 crashed on landing and four children were among those killed.

‘Our primary conce is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board," said CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith.

‘Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved."

Vasily Golubev, the goveor of the Rostov region some 600 miles south of Moscow, added: ‘By all appearances, the cause of the air crash was the strongly gusting wind, approaching a hurricane level."

Members of emergency services stand near the crash site of a Boeing 737-800 (Picture: Reuters)

The plane crashed while landing (Picture: Reuters)

The plane reportedly missed its approach then entered a holding patte and tried to land again before contact was lost.

The Emergencies Ministry said it clipped the ground with its wing and caught fire.

Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 reported the plane was circling for about two hours before making another attempt to land.

FlyDubai was launched in 2008 by the govement of Dubai, the Gulf commercial hub that is part of the seven-state United Arab Emirates federation. Its first flight took to the skies in 2009.