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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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MOSCOW - A military plane crashed late Friday in Russia's Far East and all nine crew members aboard were feared dead, Russian news agencies reported.

ITAR Tass quoted an emergency ministry official as saying that the Tu-142-M3 anti-submarine turboprop crashed in the Tatarsky Strait about 20 kilometres (12 miles) off the Pacific coast.

The Interfax news agency quoted a Defence Ministry official as saying that the plane disappeared off radar screens shortly after 1100 GMT when it was finishing a training flight.

"The crew members are most likely dead," the official was quoted as saying.

Tu-142 M3 is a maritime reconnaissance aircraft that was widely used by the Soviet navy.