Rescuers in Russia have discovered the wreckage of an Angara Airlines plane that disappeared from radar just 16 kilometers (10 miles) from its destination, Tynda Airport, in the far-eastern Amur region. The Antonov An-24 aircraft, carrying at least 42 passengers and six crew members, including five children, had departed from Blagoveshchensk, near the Chinese border, before vanishing.
According to the Russian emergencies ministry, a civil aviation helicopter spotted the aircraft’s burning fuselage in a forested hillside area. Disturbing footage from the crash site showed debris engulfed in flames deep within dense woodland. Rescuers on foot said it would take them roughly an hour to reach the crash zone. Preliminary reports indicate that there are no survivors.
Amur Governor Vasily Orlov confirmed that “all necessary resources” had been deployed in the search operation. Investigators are now examining whether poor weather and pilot error or technical malfunction contributed to the crash.
The aircraft, an almost 50-year-old An-24, had been flying the final leg of its route from Khabarovsk. Despite recently passing a technical inspection, the plane had a troubled history, with at least four recorded incidents since 2018.
The Antonov An-24 has a record of fatal accidents. In 2019, an An-24RV veered off a runway at Nizhneangarsk Airport, killing two crew members. Another crash in 2011 saw an An-24 plunge into the Ob River in Siberia, resulting in seven fatalities.
Russia’s aviation safety standards have faced increased scrutiny in recent years, especially concerning the continued operation of aging Soviet-era aircraft.
Written By Rodney Mbua
