Daijiworld Media Network - Moscow
Moscow, Jul 24: In a devastating aviation disaster, a Russian An-24 aircraft operated by Angara Airlines crashed on Thursday in the rugged, forested mountains of the Amur region, killing all 49 people on board, including five children and six crew members.
The twin-engine aircraft had taken off from Blagoveshchensk and was nearing its destination of Tynda, close to the Russia-China border, when it suddenly lost contact with air traffic control. Local media report that the plane disappeared from radar without issuing any distress call.
According to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, witnesses and officials suggest the plane may have caught fire mid-air before crashing. Hours later, rescue helicopters discovered the smouldering remains on a remote mountainside, about 16 kilometres from Tynda.
“There were no survivors,” confirmed a spokesperson from the Amur Centre for Civil Defence and Fire Safety. “The aircraft ignited on impact, and the terrain has made rescue operations incredibly difficult.”
The crash site lies on a steep, isolated slope surrounded by dense taiga forest and swampy ground, making ground access nearly impossible. The extreme conditions have hampered rescue and recovery teams as they try to reach the wreckage.
Initial findings hint that the aircraft may have been attempting a second approach to Tynda Airport at the time of the crash. However, the complete absence of a distress signal has raised urgent questions about what went wrong.
The Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, and emergency services quickly launched a full-scale response. “All available resources have been mobilised to search and secure the crash zone,” said Amur Governor Vasily Orlov.
An investigation has been opened by the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office, and recovery crews are preparing to retrieve the plane’s black boxes as soon as ground teams can safely access the location.
As Russia mourns yet another air tragedy, officials are bracing for what may be a lengthy and complex probe into the cause of the crash.