The plane wreckage of an Angara Airlines flight reported to be carrying nearly 50 people on board has been discovered in Russia’s far east Amur region. The flight had departed from Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk after it vanished from radar systems.
Wreckage carrying 48 passengers
The wreckage of the Angara Airlines AN-24 plane has been discovered after a fatal crash. According to reports, there were over 40 passengers onboard, including children. Russia’s state media has reported that nearly 50 people on board are feared dead since no survivors can be seen from the air.
A Russian news agency reported that weather conditions were poor and unsuitable for flight at the time of the airlines departure when the airline left Khabarovsk.
An24 Cockpit © Elke Wetzig
Vanished from radar systems
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) in a statement posted earlier on Telegram ( translated from Russian using Google Translate) had said:
“An An-24 passenger aircraft of Angara Airlines disappeared from radars and failed to respond to calls in Amur Region, several kilometers from Tynda airport. It was flying the Khabarovsk-Blagoveshchensk-Tynda route.”
It had added that rescuers of the Russian Emergencies Ministry were heading to the crash site through “hard-to-reach terrain.” Preliminary estimation indicated around 40 people on board. It has deployed over 50 people and ten pieces of equipment for the rescue. The Ministry has also launched two hotlines for assistance. It had later sent out an update stating there were around 149 specialists and 21 pieces of equipment were deployed, and that the search for survivors was underway.
Footage from the scene is said to show wreckage burning in the woodlands, with no survivors in sight.
The director of the Tynda airport reports that the aircraft caught fire after it crashed into the woodland in the Amur region.
This is a developing story. More information to be updated soon.
