Plane Crashes in Russia with 49 People on board, All Killed

A Russian plane carrying 49 people has crashed with no survivors, according to reports. The aircraft - which had 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew on board - was flying from the city of Blagoveshchensk on the Russian-Chinese border to the remote town of Tynda, regional governor Vasily Orlov said.

"All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane," Mr Orlov said on Telegram. There were no survivors, news agency TASS reported, saying an error during landing in poor visibility caused the crash in the eastern part of the Amur region.

Unverified video, shot from a helicopter and posted on social media, appeared to show the plane had come down in a densely forested area.

It caught fire during its descent, and no survivors were spotted during an aerial inspection of the site, TASS said, quoting a statement from the regional civil defence and fire safety centre.

"According to the director of Tynda Airport, the plane caught fire upon impact, and a Mi-8 helicopter crew flying over the area reported no signs of survivors," the statement said.

The Interfax news agency, citing unnamed sources in the emergency services, said there were difficult weather conditions in the area.

The transport prosecutor's office in Russia's far east reported the site of the crash was 10 miles (15km) south of Tynda, adding in an online statement that the plane was trying to make a second approach during landing when contact with it was lost.

Burning fuselage of the plane, which was from the Soviet era and was nearly 50 years old, was found by a rescue helicopter south of Tynda, emergency officials said, adding that rescue crews were rushing to the scene.

There were no survivors, according to reports. Pic: Federal Air Transport agency/Reuters
The Antonov An-24 passenger jet, built in 1976 according to its tail number, and operated by a privately-owned Siberia-based airline called Angara, disappeared from radar over the area, local officials said.

It was believed to be a few kilometres away from its destination when it lost contact, the SHOT news agency reported.

The local emergencies ministry put the number of people on board somewhat lower, at around 40, while Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said 48 people were on board the flight. It was unclear why numbers differed.

Yuliya Petina, an emergency services official, wrote on Telegram: "During the search operation, a Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Rossaviatsiya discovered the fuselage of the aircraft, which was on fire.

"Rescuers continue to make their way to the scene of the accident". An investigation has been launched, authorities said.