A giant Antonov cargo plane crashed during a training exercise in central Russia, leaving all 12 military pilots aboard the aircraft missing and presumed dead, officials said yesterday.

The An-22 military plane carrying the servicemen but no cargo had been performing a training exercise on its way from Voronezh to Tver in central Russia when it disappeared from radar screens late on Tuesday, said a spokeswoman for military prosecutors of the Moscow military district.

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