A passenger aircraft carrying 49 people crashed in Russia's far east while approaching Tynda, a remote town near the Chinese border, The Guardian has reported. The An-24 aircraft, operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines, disappeared from radar screens before its scheduled landing.
Emergency services located the wreckage nine miles (15 km) from Tynda airport on a mountainside, with aerial inspections finding no survivors. However, authorities said ground teams were continuing their search, leaving hope that survivors might still be discovered.
The crash site, captured in Russian media footage, showed thick smoke rising above a densely forested area. According to preliminary data from regional governor Vasily Orlov, the aircraft was carrying 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members.
“All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane,” Orlov stated on Telegram. The Russian emergencies ministry initially reported the number of people on board as around 40.
The An-24 had been operating along the Khabarovsk–Blagoveshchensk–Tynda route and reportedly failed to pass security checks near its final destination. Emergency teams continue to work at the scene as investigations into the cause of the crash begin.
