At least 71 persons were killed after a passenger plane operated by Saratov Airlines crashed in the Moscow region of Russia on Sunday.

Reports say there were 65 passengers and six crew members on board the plane when it crashed minutes after taking off from the Domodedovo Airport en route Orsk in southern Ural on Sunday afternoon.

Maxim Sokolov, the Russian Transport Minister said the search for the remains of the crash victims would take weeks as the debris from the mishap scattered across more than 30 hectares.

Emergency teams and rescue workers have continued to comb the snowy fields outside Moscow in search of debris, body fragments and any clues that may unravel the cause of the crash.