[Fitzcarraldo]

If these planes took off minutes apart and crashed minutes apart, how come they were hundreds of miles apart?

Good question - both have about the same cruising speed.= 850 km/hr

http://www.aeroflot.org/tu_134.htm

http://www.aeroflot.org/tu_154.htm

[BurbankKarl]

Police inspect the site of a bomb blast near a bus stop in Moscow, August 24, 2004. The blast originated from a device planted near a bus stop and injured at least 3 people according to city police

[eabinga]

I just looked up the departure times on the Moscow's Airport Website:

Flight 1303: Departed 22:20

Flight 1047: Deaprted 21:25

That Washington Post is wrong.