A Russian Proton-M rocket with a Japanese communication satellite crashed on Thursday shortly after take off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The debris of the rocket fell near the Kazakh town of Jiskazgan and has sparked fears of ecological damage due to spillage of highly toxic fuel. The Russian Proton-M SLV was launched at 2:43 Moscow time (4:13 IST) with the Japanese JCSat-11 and its second stage booster switched off at the 139th second after lift-off.

The satellite was not placed in orbit, Khrunichev centre spokesman Alexander Bobrenev was quoted as saying. “A state commission has been set up to inquire into the causes of the malfunction.” The Kazakhstan has banned the launches of Proton-M from Baikonur cosmodrome till the probe is complete.