A passenger aircraft carrying 49 people, including five children and six crew members, went missing Thursday in Russia’s Far East before its wreckage was discovered in the Amur region. All on board are feared dead, according to initial reports from emergency services.
The aircraft, an An-24 operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines, vanished from radar while on approach to the town of Tynda, near the Chinese border.
IFAX news agency first reported the plane’s disappearance, with Reuters subsequently citing emergency service officials who indicated that all individuals on board are feared to have perished.
While there has been no official confirmation of fatalities, RT shared a video on social media reportedly showing the plane’s burning fuselage on the ground, spotted by a helicopter. Rescue teams are reportedly en route to the crash site.
According to the local emergencies ministry, the plane disappeared from radar just before landing in Tynda, and no further communication was established with the crew.
Regional governor Vasily Orlov stated, “All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane.” He initially reported preliminary figures of 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members. However, the local emergencies ministry provided a slightly different estimate of approximately 40 people on board. RT, however, maintained a count of 49 people on board, including the five children and six crew members, and explicitly stated, “No survivors reported.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with speculation centering on either a malfunction or human error.
