A Russian passenger plane carrying 49 people crashed in the Amur region of Russia on Thursday. The aircraft, an An-24 turboprop operated by Angara Airlines, disappeared from radar during its final approach.
The flight was traveling from Blagoveshchensk, near the Russian-Chinese border, to the remote town of Tynda. Local authorities and Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the crash site was located in a mountainous area close to China.
All 49 passengers and crew, including five children, are feared dead. The wreckage was found burned by a search helicopter. Rescue teams reported no signs of survivors.
Preliminary reports suggest poor weather and possible pilot error may have caused the crash. Visibility was reportedly low in the region at the time. An investigation is underway by Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency and the Interstate Aviation Committee.
The An-24 is an older aircraft model widely used in Russia’s remote regions. It has been involved in several accidents in recent years due to aging equipment and difficult flying conditions.
Emergency services faced challenges reaching the crash site because of bad weather. Local media shared footage of the smoldering wreckage scattered across the forested area.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the tragedy. The Kremlin promised full support for the victims’ families and ordered a transparent investigation.
This crash is one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Russia in recent years. It raises renewed concerns about the safety of aging planes operating in Russia’s vast and often isolated territories.
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