A passenger aircraft carrying close to 50 people crashed on Thursday, in a remote, forested area of Russia’s Amur region in the far east, with authorities reporting no immediate signs of survivors.
The plane, a twin-engine Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk to the town of Tynda when it vanished from radar at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time (0400 GMT).
A rescue helicopter later discovered the burning wreckage on a forested mountain slope about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Tynda. Footage released by Russian investigators showed thick smoke rising from the crash site deep in the woods.
Rescuers aboard the helicopter saw no indications of survivors, according to local emergency services. The region’s civil defence agency confirmed it had dispatched a ground team to the site.
“Currently, 25 personnel and five pieces of equipment are en route, with four aircraft crews on standby,” the agency said.
Search efforts have been hampered by difficult terrain, a rescue official told state news agency TASS. “The main search operations are being conducted from the air,” the source explained.
Angara Airlines, a small regional airline headquartered in Irkutsk, has yet to release a statement.
According to Amur region Governor Vassily Orlov, the aircraft was carrying 43 passengers and six crew members, including five children. However, state news agency TASS, citing emergency officials, put the number of passengers at 40.
Russia’s Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office said the crash occurred while the plane was attempting a second approach to land at Tynda airport.
“While on approach to Tynda Airport, the aircraft initiated a second landing attempt, after which communication was lost,” the statement read. Investigators are currently working to determine the cause of the accident.
