Nearly 50 people, including children and crew members, have been reported dead after a Soviet-era passenger plane crashed in Russia’s far-eastern Amur region.
The aircraft, an Antonov An-24, was operating a regional flight from Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk and Tynda when it disappeared from radar around 1 p.m.
According to a statement on Telegram by the Amur Center for Civil Defence and Fire Safety, a search and rescue helicopter located the wreckage on a mountain slope about 10 miles from Tynda.
The Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on its website on Thursday that the plane was attempting a second landing after failing to touch down on its initial approach.
Although the cause of the crash is yet to be determined, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that adverse weather conditions were present at the time of the incident.
Vasily Orlov, the regional governor, extended his condolences to the families of the victims and declared three days of mourning, ordering flags to be flown at half-mast.
“I regret to inform you that, according to preliminary data, there are no survivors of the An-24 plane crash in the Tynda District. Rescuers have reached the crash site,” he said in a statement.
In response to the crash, Russian authorities have launched an investigation on the charge of flight safety violations resulting in multiple deaths—a standard procedure in aviation accidents.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the incident.
