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49 killed in Russian plane crash
All 49 people aboard an Antonov An-24 passenger plane that crashed in Russia’s Far East on Thursday are believed to have been killed, state media reported, citing emergency officials.
All 49 people aboard an Antonov An-24 passenger plane that crashed in Russia’s Far East on Thursday are believed to have been killed, state media reported, citing emergency officials.
The Angara Airlines flight lost contact with ground dispatchers around 1 pm local time while flying several kilometers from the airport in the town of Tynda, located in the Amur region, a Moscow Times report said.
The plane had originated in Khabarovsk, made a stop in Blagoveshchensk and was en route to Tynda. Among those on board were six crew members.
Rescue teams later located the charred wreckage approximately 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Tynda, a town of less than 30,000 people.
“According to preliminary information, all on board were killed. So far, the rescue helicopter has been unable to land at the crash site — it’s a remote, mountainous area on a slope. A fire is currently burning at the scene,” an unnamed emergency official told the state-run TASS news agency.
Amur region Governor Vasily Orlov confirmed that the aircraft’s fuselage had been found but did not comment on casualties.
Transportation investigators announced that they had launched a criminal probe into the crash, treating it as a possible violation of air safety rules.
There were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board, reports said.