A passenger aircraft with 49 people on board has crashed in a remote mountainous area of Russia’s far eastern Amur region, with initial rescue reports indicating no signs of survivors.
The Antonov-24 aircraft, operated by Angara Airlines, was en route from Blagoveshchensk to Tynda when it disappeared from radar around 1:00 pm local time. A rescue helicopter later located the burning wreckage on a forested mountain slope approximately 16 kilometres from its destination.
According to authorities, the aircraft was attempting a second landing approach at Tynda Airport when it lost contact with air traffic control. The Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the sequence of events but said investigations into the crash’s cause are ongoing.
Videos released by investigators showed smoke billowing from the crash site in dense forest terrain, complicating access for ground rescue teams. Aerial operations remain the primary method of search due to the region’s difficult landscape.
Amur Governor Vassily Orlov said the plane was carrying 43 passengers and six crew members, including five children. Conflicting reports from emergency services placed the number of passengers at 40, but both confirmed a total of 49 people were on board.
The regional civil defence agency has deployed 25 rescue personnel and five equipment units, with four additional aircraft on standby.
The aircraft involved, built nearly 50 years ago, reportedly had its airworthiness certificate extended until 2036, according to a TASS source in aviation services. Angara Airlines, a regional carrier based in Irkutsk, has not yet issued a public statement.
The Antonov-24, a twin-propeller Soviet-era aircraft, has seen declining usage but remains in service in remote Russian regions. Crashes involving older aircraft in these areas are not uncommon.
