A plane carrying a group of parachute jumpers crashed after takeoff in the Russian region of Tatarstan early on Sunday, killing 16 people and injuring six, the Emergencies Ministry said.

At a height of 70 metres, the pilots reported that their left engine had failed and attempted an emergency landing near the city of Menzelinsk, trying to turn the plane leftward to avoid an inhabited area, the regional governor said.

But the aircraft's wing hit a Gazelle vehicle as the plane landed and it overturned, Tatarstan's governor Rustam Minnikhanov said.

The aircraft had been carrying 20 parachutists and two crew members. Six people were in a serious condition, the Health Ministry said.