Almost 50 people including children are feared dead after a Soviet-era passenger plane crashed in Russia’s far eastern Amur region, state media reported on Thursday, citing local officials.
The plane, an Antonov An-24, was flying on a regional route from Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk and Tynda when it disappeared from the radar, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement posted on Telegram.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the aircraft lost contact with air traffic controllers just a few miles from its destination, Tynda airport.
A search and rescue helicopter later spotted the wreckage of the aircraft on a mountain slope about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Tynda. Officials from the Amur Center for Civil Defence and Fire Safety reported no signs of survivors were visible from the air.
Initial reports suggest the aircraft caught fire upon impact. Investigations into the cause of the crash have been launched by both the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Interstate Aviation Committee.
Vasiliy Orlov, governor of the Amur region, said in a statement that preliminary data showed 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members were on board. Russian state news agency TASS, citing emergency officials, reported that all those aboard are presumed dead.
The crash site is in a remote and rugged area, with no roads and dense swampy forest, complicating rescue and recovery efforts. Governor Orlov said all available emergency personnel and resources were being deployed.
The Antonov An-24 is a twin-turboprop aircraft first introduced in the 1960s and still in use on some regional routes in Russia. Angara Airlines, based in Irkutsk, operates domestic services across Siberia and Russia’s Far East.
This incident raises renewed concerns about the safety of aging aircraft in Russia’s regional aviation sector, particularly in remote areas with limited infrastructure.