A Russian military plane with 11 people on board crashed in the Pacific Ocean during a training flight, news agencies reported on Saturday.

News agencies reported that a search was now under way for the crew. RIA news agency quoted an unidentified high-ranking source within the military as saying finding survivors was unlikely.

The Tu-142 plane disappeared from radar screens at 1117 GMT on Friday while flying over the Tatar Strait, which separates the Russian mainland from the island of Sakhalin, Itar-Tass news agency quoted the Defence Ministry as saying.

A ministry spokesman declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

Russia has one of the world's worst air safety records, with elderly Soviet-era planes and dated airport facilities contributing to a grim crash toll.

Eleven people died when a cargo aircraft crashed this month in the eastern Russian region of Yakutia.

Reuters