A passenger plane with 49 people aboard crashed in Russia’s remote Far East near Tynda, Amur region. The An-24 aircraft, operated by Angara Airlines, lost contact with air traffic controllers during its final approach. “They did not report any problems,” said Russia’s TASS news agency, though weather conditions were poor and the terrain mountainous.

Helicopters from the Ministry of Emergency Situations found the wreckage 16 km from Tynda. “The fuselage of the plane… is on fire,” officials reported. Emergency videos showed smouldering debris in dense forest. No survivors have been found, and preliminary reports suggest all onboard were killed, including six crew and five children.

The plane took off from Khabarovsk, stopped in Blagoveshchensk—where it passed a technical inspection—and continued to Tynda. Authorities said, “The helicopter with rescuers cannot land… it is a hard-to-reach area.”

Governor Vasily Orlov urged people to avoid misinformation, stating, “All necessary forces… are involved in searching for the plane.” A hotline was set up for families.

An investigation is underway. The An-24 model, first built in the 1950s, is still used in remote Russian areas. The crashed plane was nearly 50 years old, but had an airworthiness certificate valid until 2036.