A devastating plane crash in Russia’s far east has claimed the lives of all 46 people on board.
The Angara Airlines-operated An-24 plane crashed on a mountainside in the Amur region, near the town of Tynda, while approaching the area.
According to Vasily Orlov, governor of the Amur region, the plane was initially reported to have 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members.
However, emergency services later confirmed that there were 40 passengers, including two children, and six crew members on board.
Rescue crews rushed to the scene after the plane’s burning fuselage and wreckage were located on the mountainside, 16km from Tynda.
An aerial inspection of the site confirmed that there were no survivors.
“No distress signals were emitted prior to the loss of contact,” emergency services reported.
The cause of the crash is still unclear, but investigations are considering crew error during low-visibility landing as a likely cause.
Russia’s emergency services noted that thick forests and swamps in the region compounded search efforts.
A criminal case into the incident has been opened, and federal registry data shows that Angara Airlines was last inspected this month.
The governor of the Amur region, Vasily Orlov, expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
The Russian authorities are working to determine the exact cause of the crash and to provide support to those affected.
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