A passenger plane with 49 people on board crashed in the forested mountains of Russia’s Amur region on Thursday afternoon.
The aircraft, an Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was en route to Tynda from Blagoveshchensk when it vanished from radar.
It disappeared around 1:00 p.m. local time.
A rescue helicopter later located the wreckage, burning on a steep slope, about 16 kilometres from Tynda.
Videos shared by Russian investigators showed thick smoke curling above the tree line.
“At the moment, 25 people and five units of equipment have been dispatched,” officials said.
“Four aircraft with crews are also on standby.”
The area is hard to reach by road, according to rescue teams.
“The main search operations are being conducted from the air,” one rescuer told the state-run TASS agency.
As of Thursday evening, rescuers had found no signs of survivors.
The Amur region’s civil defence unit confirmed that all early efforts had failed to locate any of the people on board alive.
Angara Airlines has not released a public statement yet.
Second Landing Attempt Ended in Tragedy
The doomed flight carried 43 passengers and six crew members, including five children, according to regional governor Vassily Orlov.
Russia’s Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office said the plane crashed while making a second attempt to land at Tynda Airport.
“While approaching Tynda Airport, the aircraft went around for a second landing, after which contact was lost,” the office said.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Reports suggest the aircraft was an older model, built almost 50 years ago.
Still, the plane’s airworthiness certificate was reportedly renewed until 2036.
The Antonov-24, a twin-propeller Soviet-era plane, entered service in 1959 and is still used in many of Russia’s remote regions.
While Russia has tried to modernise its aviation fleet, ageing aircraft like the An-24 remain active due to their rugged design.
Many operate in tough, icy terrain where modern jets often struggle.
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