NEED TO KNOW
- A passenger plane’s wreckage has been found after the aircraft crashed in Russia’s far east while carrying 49 people, according to local media
- There are no signs of survivors, news agency TASS reported
- The plane, operated by the Siberia-based Angara Airlines, had been traveling from Blagoveshchensk to Tynda Airport on July 24 when it crashed in the Amur region
A passenger plane carrying 49 people has crashed in the Amur region of Russia’s far east, with reports indicating there are no survivors.
On Thursday, July 24, the An-24 aircraft, operated by the Siberia-based Angara Airlines, lost contact with air traffic control at approximately 1 p.m. local time while traveling from Blagoveshchensk, which is on the Russian-Chinese border, to Tynda Airport, local news agency TASS reported.
The aircraft was carrying 43 passengers and six crew members, the agency stated. All are presumed dead, TASS reported, citing preliminary reports from emergency services.
“Initial information indicates there are no survivors. Rescue helicopters have been unable to land at the crash site due to the challenging mountainous terrain. The area remains engulfed in flames,” a source told the news agency.
Regional governor Vasily Orlov confirmed there were five children among the passengers, the news agency and BBC News reported.
The plane’s wreckage was discovered on a mountainside approximately 10 miles from the town of Tynda, TASS reported, citing the Amur Center for Civil Defense and Fire Safety.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed authorities had found the aircraft’s “burning fuselage,” but didn’t provide further details, per the Associated Press.
TASS reported that it’s believed the plane caught fire during its descent, adding that no survivors had been seen during an aerial inspection of the crash site, citing the regional civil defense and fire safety center.
“According to the director of Tynda Airport, the plane caught fire upon impact, and a Mi-8 helicopter crew flying over the area reported no signs of survivors,” a statement said, per the outlet.
The plane had reportedly attempted a second approach at landing at Tynda Airport, before all contact with the aircraft was lost, per TASS.
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According to the BBC, the Angara Airlines Antonov 24 aircraft is reportedly around 50 years old and has had trouble in the past. The plane hadn’t given any signals about possible problems in the air before Thursday’s crash, Tass noted, citing the emergency services.
Angara Airlines and Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
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