Plane crashes with 49 on board in Russia’s Far East

A plane carrying 49 people crashed in Russia’s far eastern region of Amur on Thursday, July 24, authorities said.

The aircraft, a twin-engine Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was headed to the town of Tynda from the city of Blagoveshchensk near the Russian-Chinese border when it disappeared from radar, regional governor Vassily Orlov said on Telegram.

Forty-three passengers, including five children, were on board along with six crew members, The Associated Press reported, citing Orlov.

A rescue helicopter later spotted the plane’s burning fuselage on a mountainside about 10 miles from Tynda, authorities said.

The helicopter saw no evidence of survivors from above, local rescuers said.

The Amur region’s civil defense agency said it was dispatching rescuers to the scene.

“At the moment, 25 people and five units of equipment have been dispatched, and four aircraft with crews are on standby,” it said.

The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case following the incident.

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