Moscow denied media reports that Russian citizens died when an Antonov cargo plane crashed in Congo Friday, and reported that two Georgians and two Ukrainians were killed.

"As a result of the An-12 plane crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo, four people died - two Ukrainian citizens and two Georgian citizens. As Ukraine and Georgia do not have embassies in Congo, the Russian Embassy in Kinshasa is ready to provide representatives of these countries with necessary consular support," the head of Russian Foreign Ministry`s press service, Boris Malakhov, said.

"The An-12 crashed into hardened lava left on the landing strip after the latest volcano eruption nearby. In reality, the landing strip was a bit shorter than it was supposed to be," Alexander Turchinovich, the head of Russian Embassy`s consular department in Congo said.

He also said that four crewmembers died in the crash, and that their citizenship and names were not announced until officially confirmed.

The Georgian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministries are checking the information concerning the deaths of their citizens.
sections: Accidents