MOSCOW Aug 10 (Reuters) - Russia temporarily grounded about 100 An-12 cargo planes on Wednesday following a deadly crash of one of the jets, its transport safety regulator said.
An Antonov-12 crashed in Russia's Far East on Tuesday, killing all 11 on board after its engine failed, the latest in a string of transport disasters that anger ordinary Russians, who say the government is not doing enough to protect them.
Ahead of parliamentary elections in December and a presidential vote in March, President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have condemned the state of the country's infrastructure and endemic regulatory corner-cutting.
The crash was the third fatal jet disaster in as many months. Seven people were killed by another Antonov, the An-24, in Siberia in July, following a crash in the country's northwest in June that killed 35.
"We decided to suspend flight operations of the An-12 aircraft in Russia until airlines take direct measures to improve safety," said Rostransnadzor official Sergei Romanchev.
The transport safety watchdog added that Russia has around 100 An-12s.
The latest accidents follow the crash of Polish President Lech Kaczynski's Russian-built plane near the western city of Smolensk in a thick fog in April 2010, killing him and all 95 others on board.
A month ago, 122 people died on the Volga River when a tourist riverboat listed to one side and sank within minutes. Putin blamed irresponsibility and the desire for a quick profit for that disaster.
A culture of corruption sometimes enables old, decrepit vessels and aeroplanes to pass routine safety tests.
Source: http://www.reuters.com
