Update: One Russian News source is now reporting that at least one of the aircraft involved in this tragedy reported a hijacking shortly before it went down. Both impact sites have been located and NO survivors have been reported.

It appears that a major Russian aviation tragedy has occurred. Two airliners are reported down... having taken off from the same location, Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, at nearly the same time. No survivors have been reported.

According to ITAR-Tass, a Tu-134 airliner, carrying a reported 42 people (34 passengers and eight crew members) is known to be down some 125 miles south of Moscow (in the Tula region), at about 2256 local time, Monday.

In the other case, a Tu-154 carrying 44 passengers and eight crew members, went missing at approximately the same time near Rostov-on-Don, some 600 miles south of Moscow. Wreckage or other evidence of the crash has not yet been found.

No causes are reported. None have been ruled out... including the spectre of terrorist action. State Department officials a have been quoted  as noting that, "We are obviously concerned by the news. We're following developments closely and trying to determine the facts."

There is great confusion at the moment, especially since emergency officials originally reported that the second jet went down only three minutes after the first.

Russian agencies report that witnesses said they saw an explosion before the Tula region crash. That aircraft was enroute to the southern city of Vologograd. The other jet enroute to a Black Sea Resort city, named Sochi. President Vladimir Putin is currently vacationing in Sochi.

ANN will have more information as we are able to authenticate it...

FMI: www.domodedovo.ru/index_en.asp