Russia plane crash: No sign of survivors, reports state media
An Angara Airlines An-24, en route to Tynda, disappeared from radar on July 24, with wreckage found on a mountain slope and no survivors visible
Nearly 50 people, including children, are feared dead after a Soviet-era passenger plane crashed in Russia’s far-eastern Amur region, according to state media reports on Thursday (July 24) citing local officials. The flight was operated by Angara Airlines, a Russian airline that is based in Irkutsk in Siberia.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, in a statement posted on Telegram, said the plane, an Antonov An-24, was flying on a regional route from Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk and Tynda when it disappeared from the radar.
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No survivors spotted
The Amur Centre for Civil Defence and Fire Safety reported that a search and rescue helicopter located the wreckage of the aircraft on a mountain slope, about 10 miles (16 km) from Tynda. No survivors were visible from the air, the agency said.
According to the director of Tynda airport, the plane caught fire after crashing, the Amur Centre said. The emergency ministry is investigating the loss of contact, while the Interstate Aviation Committee has also launched a probe into the incident.
In a statement on its website, the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office said the plane was trying to land for the second time when it crashed, after failing to touch down on its first approach. Russian state news agency TASS reported that, according to the emergency services, the crew did not issue any distress calls.
According to publicly available databases, the aircraft was built in 1976. The Antonov AN-24 model was designed in 1957.
Lost contact near airport
Vasiliy Orlov, the governor of Amur region, said on Telegram that according to preliminary data, there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board the plane.
Citing emergency officials, Russian state news agency TASS said preliminary information indicates that all those aboard the aircraft were dead.
The aircraft was only a few miles from the Tynda airport when it lost contact with air traffic controllers, the emergency ministry added.
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