A passenger plane crashed in Siberia just minutes after takeoff early Monday morning, killing 31 of the 43 people on board.

The twin engine French-Italian ATR-72, operated by Russian airline UTair, took off from Tyumen - 1,000 miles  east of Moscow - en route to Surgut, but failed to climb higher than 100 metres before crashing into a snowy field.

An ATR-72, like the aircraft that crashed in Siberia Monday (Wikimedia Commons)

Twelve survivors have been hospitalized, five of whom are in critical condition.

Vladimir Markin of Russia’s Investigative Committee, from RT.com:

“Judging by the nature of the damage sustained by the plane during the crash we have ruled out the possibility of an attack."

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.

The flight had 39 passengers and four crew members.  The death toll was earlier reported at 32, but authorities revised that figure to 31.