A passenger plane carrying 49 people has suffered a fiery crash in a remote region in Russia’s Far East.
The plan was an AN-24 twin turboprop aircraft that was operated by Angara Airlines, and it had dropped off the radar several kilometers from Tynda Airport in the Amur region today.
Search and rescue parties were dispatched immediately after air traffic controllers lost all contact with the pilots as they made a second approach to the airport, having circled on the first attempt.
They didn’t report any major problems before losing contact, as per Russia’s TASS news service. However, weather conditions were so poor with low visibility, and Tynda is said to be surrounded by dense forest and a mountainous terrain. The plane was confirmed to have gone down after helicopters dispatched by Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations spotted remnants of the plane’s fuselage on the mountainside, some 16 kilometers from Tynda.
Videos were shared on Telegram by emergency workers that showed the smouldering ruins of the plane, which was scattered amid the trees.
During the search operations, the Mi-8 helicopter of the Federal Air Transport Agency found the fuselage of the plane, which was on fire. Rescuers continued to proceed to the scene of the incident as shared by a statement from the Ministry. Out of those on board, six were crew members and five were listed as children.