MOSCOW (AP) – All 48 passengers and crew died in a passenger plane crashed in the Far East of Russia, the head of Amur region of the country said in a statement on Thursday.
The Ministry of Emergency of Russia had earlier stated that it found the burning torso of the Soviet-designed twin turbo prop aircraft on a hill south of its planned destination in Tinda city, more than 7,000 kilometers (4,350 mi) in the east of Moscow, east of Moscow.
The aircraft operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines, initially departed from Kabrovskas before making its way for Blagiveshchansk for Blagiveschensk and Tinda on the Russian-Chinese border.
Reported Crash operated by images of site Russian state media show debris Scattered between the dense forest, surrounded by a plum of smoke.
Regional Government. Vasili Orlov said that rescue teams struggled to reach the site in the south of Tibba, 15 kilometers (9 mi) south of their remote.
The office of the Transport Prosecutor in the Far East said in an online statement that the aircraft was trying to land for the second time when the contract was lost with air traffic control and disappeared from the radar.
Russia’s Interfax news agency said that emergency services were adverse weather conditions at the time of accident, citing anonymous sources. Many Russian news outlets also reported that the aircraft was about 50 years old, citing data taken from the tail number of the aircraft.
Orlov declared a three -day mourning in the Amur region to mark the disaster, which he described as a “terrible tragedy”.
A previous statement by The Gowner said that 49 people were in flight. The cause of discrepancy was not immediately clear.
Authorities have initiated an investigation on charges of flight safety violations, resulting in several deaths, a standard procedure in aviation accidents.
Aviation incidents in Russia often occur, especially in recent years international sanctions have squeezed the country’s aviation sector.
The Associated Press