Forty-eight people, including children, lost their lives in a tragic incident involving an Angara Airlines aircraft, which went down in a remote forest area near Tynda airport.
Tragedy Strikes as Plane with 48 People Crashes in Russian Far East
Tragedy Strikes as Plane with 48 People Crashes in Russian Far East
A devastating plane crash in the Amur region claims all lives aboard, prompting national mourning.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, Russian authorities have confirmed the deaths of all 48 individuals aboard an Angara Airlines plane that crashed in the dense forests of the Amur region in far-eastern Russia. The Antonov An-24 was carrying 42 passengers and six crew members when it disappeared from radar while approaching Tynda airport, approximately 16 kilometers from its destination.
A Russian civil aviation helicopter later located the charred wreckage on a remote hillside. The victims included five children, leading local governor Vasily Orlov to announce a three-day period of mourning for the deceased.
Rescuers faced significant challenges due to the area's remote and swampy landscape, taking approximately an hour to reach the crash site. Initial investigations into the cause of the crash suggest that it may have resulted from pilot error due to poor weather conditions or a technical failure. It is reported that the plane had already attempted to land unsuccessfully before losing radar contact during a second approach.
Angara Airlines has its base in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, with the crew originating from the same area. Many of the passengers were reportedly employees of Russian Railways active in the far east.
The Antonov 24, nearly 50 years old, is a vintage aircraft that was originally developed in Kyiv during the Soviet Union era. Although this model has not operated in Ukraine for several years, officials stated that the plane had recently passed a technical inspection. However, it has a contentious history, having experienced four incidents since 2018, including a runway mishap that left its left wing damaged seven years ago.
This latest incident adds to a string of tragic accidents associated with An-24 aircraft, which have raised safety concerns over the years. In a notable incident in 2019, an An-24RV crashed at Nizhneangarsk Airport, resulting in the deaths of two crew members. A previous crash in 2011 claimed the lives of seven passengers when another Angara An-24 went down in the Ob river, prompting former president Dmitry Medvedev to call for grounding of the aging An-24 fleet still in service in Russia.
