A near-50-year-old Soviet-era plane carrying dozens of people—including children—crashed and burned in a remote forest in Russia’s Far East on Thursday, with no signs of survivors, according to emergency officials.
The Antonov An-24 turboprop aircraft, operated by the Siberian airline Angara, vanished from radar on its approach to the remote town of Tynda, near the Chinese border, amid bad weather. As the plane approached the town it aborted its initial landing attempt and began a second approach—then lost all communication.
It had been flying from the city of Blagoveshchensk with at least 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew on board, regional governor Vasily Orlov said. The federal emergencies ministry cited a slightly lower number.
Emergency services told RIA Novosti that they hope to find survivors on the ground, despite an aerial search offering little hope. “There is difficult access terrain, lush vegetation, and living bodies can be found during an inspection on the ground,” a spokesperson said.
An unnamed emergency official was less hopeful when speaking to the state-run TASS news agency.
“According to preliminary information, all on board were killed. So far, the rescue helicopter has been unable to land at the crash site—it’s a remote, mountainous area on a slope. A fire is currently burning at the scene,” they said.
The wreckage was spotted by a search helicopter around 10 miles outside Tynda. “During the search operation, a Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Rossaviatsiya discovered the fuselage of the aircraft, which was on fire,” emergency services official Yuliya Petina said in a grim update on Telegram, according to Reuters.
Unverified footage shared on social media shows the charred wreckage in a densely wooded area, as rescue teams scrambled over difficult terrain.
Built in 1976, the Antonov was a relic of a bygone era. Transportation investigators have reportedly launched a criminal probe.
The regional governor added that authorities are throwing everything at the search. “All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane,” Orlov said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin is being updated on the incident.
