Fifteen people were killed on Sunday after a plane carrying civilian parachutists crashed in central Russia.

       The Czech-made L-410 plane crashed at 9.23am (0623 GMT) in the republic of Tatarstan with 22 people on board. The plane broke in two on impact, according to images released by the Russian emergency ministry.

       It added on Telegram that "seven people were rescued" but that "15 were found without any signs of life."

       The seven survivors were hospitalised and one of them is "in a serious condition", according to the RIA Novosti agency, which quoted a source at the local health ministry.

       According to the Interfax news agency, the plane belonged to a local club of the paramilitary organisation DOSAAF, the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Air Force and Navy.

       Russia, long known for its numerous accidents, has significantly improved its air safety since the 2000s, but crashes still occur fairly frequently, especially in sparsely populated areas such as the Far East.