Dozens feared dead after Soviet-era plane crashes in Russia’s far east

(CNN) — Almost 50 people including children are feared dead after a Soviet-era passenger plane crashed in Russia’s far eastern Amur region, state media reported on Thursday, citing local officials.

The plane, an Antonov An-24, was flying on a regional route from Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk and Tynda when it disappeared from the radar, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement posted on Telegram.

The Amur Center for Civil Defence and Fire Safety said on Telegram that a search and rescue helicopter spotted the wreck of the plane on a mountain slope 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Tynda. It said no survivors were seen from the air.

It said that according to the director of the Tynda airport, the plane caught fire after it crashed.

The emergency ministry said it is investigating why the plane lost contact, and the Interstate Aviation Committee launched a probe.

According to publicly available databases, the aircraft was built in 1976. The Antonov AN-24 model was designed in 1957.

Vasiliy Orlov, the governor of Amur region, said on Telegram that according to preliminary data, there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board the plane.

Citing emergency officials, Russian state news agency TASS said preliminary information indicates that all those aboard the aircraft were dead.

The aircraft was only a few miles from the Tynda airport when it lost contact with air traffic controllers, the emergency ministry added.

Orlov said search and rescue operations were under way, with “all necessary forces and means involved” in the effort. TASS reported the area where the plane went missing is remote and difficult to reach, with no roads through the swampy forest.

The flight was operated by Angara Airlines, a Russian airline that is based in Irkutsk in Siberia.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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