The Antonov An -24, of Soviet manufacture, fell near the city of Tynda, in a remote area of eastern Russia. There were no survivors.
Madrid, Spain.- A passenger plane crashed this Thursday in a mountainous area in eastern Russia with 49 people on board. Russian authorities confirmed that there were no survivors.
The aircraft, a Soviet model Antonov An -24 operated by the Airlines regional airline, had taken off from the city of BlagoVéchensk to Tynda, in the remote region of Amur, near the border with China. Minutes before landing, it disappeared from the radars without emitting emergency signals.
A rescue helicopter mi -8 located the fuselage in flames about 15 kilometers south of the Tynda airport, in a wooded area and difficult to access. According to preliminary data, 43 passengers were traveling on board, including five children, and six crew members.
The Russian emergency ministry reported that no signs of life were detected at the site of the incident. Rescue teams and forensic specialists have been deployed to recover the bodies and initiate the identification of the victims.
The regional governor of Amur, Vasili Orlov, confirmed the accident and declared that all the resources available for the search and attention to the relatives of the victims were mobilized.
The wrecked plane was manufactured in 1976, although it had its current certification until 2036, according to the technical documentation. Antonov An -24 is a turbopharhex bimotor widely used on Russian regional routes, especially in areas where climatic and geographical conditions hinder the use of modern aircraft.
The authorities have opened a criminal investigation to determine the causes of the accident. Among the first hypotheses are possible technical failures, human errors or adverse weather conditions at the time of landing. Black boxes have already been located by rescuers.
