MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Russian Antonov An-12 cargo plane carrying seven people crash-landed in Siberia on Wednesday and was engulfed in flames after disappearing from radar just outside the city of Irkutsk, the emergency services ministry said.

       The plane crashed near the village of Pivovarikha, about 4,200 km (2,600 miles) east of Moscow, the ministry said.

       "Firefighting and search and rescue operations are underway," the ministry said.

       A source close to the regional administration said at least two people had died.

       The plane is owned by Belarusian company Grodno, the TASS news agency cited Belarusian authorities as saying.

       Russian aviation safety standards have improved in recent years but accidents, especially involving ageing planes in far-flung regions, are not uncommon.

       (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov and Andrey Ostroukh; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)