Total CEO dies in Moscow plane crash - UPDATE

French oil major Total's chairman and chief executive officer, Christophe de Margerie, died overnight in a plane crash in Moscow.

The Falcon-300 jet in which he was travelling crashed into a snowplow while maneuvering for take-off at Moscow's Vnukovo airport with low visibility, before it caught fire and crashed onto the runway.

Three members of the four-seater plane's crew also died in the collision, with Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin alleging that the operator of the snow-clearing machine had been drunk.

But this has since been denied, as the driver does not drink alcohol, his lawyer told Interfax on Tuesday.

“Total confirms with deep regret and great sadness that Chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie died just after 10 pm (Paris time) on October 20 in a private plane crash at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, following a collision with a snow removal machine,” the firm announced early Tuesday morning.

De Margerie was 63 years old at the time of his death and has become one of the most famous executives in the global oil industry.

The French prime minister, Manuel Valls said: “France is losing an extraordinary business leader who turned Total into a world giant. France is losing a great industry captain and a patriot.”

Total is France’s largest listed company, it has a market value of €102bn.

Vladimir Martynenkov, the operator of the snow-clearing machine, was sober at the time of the accident, his lawyer said.

"My client suffers from a chronic heart condition. He does not drink alcohol. His relatives and doctors can confirm this," he said.