Plane crashes in Russia’s far east, killing all 48 on board
The Soviet-designed twin turboprop plane was found burning on a hillside after losing contact with air traffic control during a second landing attempt
All 48 passengers and crew on board a passenger plane that crashed in Russia’s far east have died, the head of the country’s Amur region said in a statement on Thursday.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said earlier that it had found the burning fuselage of the Soviet-designed twin turboprop prop plane on a hillside south of its planned destination in the town of Tynda, more than 7,000km (4,350 miles) east of Moscow.
The plane, which was operated by the Siberia-based Angara Airlines, had initially departed from Khabarovsk before making its way to Blagoveshchensk on the Russian-Chinese border and onwards to Tynda.
Images of the reported crash site circulated by Russian state media show debris scattered among dense forest, surrounded by plumes of smoke.
Regional Governor Vasily Orlov said rescuers struggled to reach the site due to its remote location, 15km (9 miles) south of Tynda.
The transport prosecutor’s office in the far east of the country said in an online statement that the plane was attempting to land for a second time when it lost contact with air traffic control and disappeared from radars.