Around 50 people, including children, have been killed after a Soviet-era passenger plane crashed in the Amur region of Russia’s Far East, state media reported Thursday, citing local officials.
The plane, which is an Antonov AN-24, was flying regional routes from Khabarovsk to Blagobesshensk to Tinda when it disappeared from the radar, the Russian Ministry of Emergency said in a statement posted to Telegram.
The Amur Center for Civil Defense and Fire Safety said on Telegram that a search and rescue helicopter had discovered an aircraft wreck on the mountain slopes 10 miles (16 km) from Tynda. Survivors said they were not seen from the air.
The plane fired fire after crashing, according to the Tinda Airport director.
The Ministry of Emergency Rescue said it was investigating why they lost contact, and the Interstate Aviation Commission has launched an investigation.
The Far East Traffic Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on its website that it had attempted to land for a second time when it crashed after the plane failed to touch on its initial approach. Russian state communications agency TASS reported that the crew did not issue distress calls, according to emergency services.
According to a public database, the aircraft was built in 1976. The Antonov AN-24 model was designed in 1957.
Amur area governor Vasiliy Orlov told Telegram that preliminary data showed 43 passengers and six crew members on the plane, including five children.
TASS, a Russian state news agency, cited emergency officials, said the preliminary information indicates that all people on the plane are dead.
The aircraft was only a few miles from Tinda Airport when it lost contact with the air traffic controller, the Ministry of Emergency added.
Orlov said search and rescue operations are ongoing and “all the necessary forces and means will be involved.” Tass reported areas that were far away from planes and had no roads through the steamy forests, making it difficult to reach.
The flight was run by Angara Airlines, a Russian airline based in Irkutsk, Siberia.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
