MOSCOW, Feb 12 - An official notification of the Antonov An-148 crash has been sent to Ukraine, the country that designed the plane, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) said in a statement on its website on Monday.

"A notification of the air crash has been sent to Ukraine, the country that designed the plane. Ukraine appointed its authorized representative and advisors to join the investigation as part of Supplement 13 to the Chicago Convention [the Convention on International Civil Aviation]," the statement said.