MOSCOW, RUSSIA – A passenger aircraft carrying 49 people crashed in Russia’s remote Amur region on Thursday, with rescue teams reporting no immediate signs of survivors after locating the burning wreckage on a forested mountainside.
The twin-propeller Antonov-24, operated by regional carrier Angara Airlines, disappeared from radar at approximately 13:00 local time while en-route from Blagoveshchensk to the town of Tynda in Russia’s far eastern region.
A rescue helicopter later spotted the aircraft’s burning fuselage on a forested mountain slope approximately 16 km from Tynda airport. Video footage released by Russian investigators showed thick columns of smoke billowing from the wreckage amid dense forest terrain.
“Rescuers in the helicopter saw no evidence of survivors,” local emergency services reported, as the Amur region’s civil defense agency mobilized ground teams to reach the crash site.
The challenging forest terrain has complicated rescue efforts, forcing teams to conduct primary search operations from the air, according to a rescuer speaking to state news agency TASS.
“At the moment, 25 people and five units of equipment have been dispatched, and four aircraft with crews are on standby,” the civil defense agency stated.
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The aircraft was carrying 43 passengers and six crew members, according to Amur region governor Vassily Orlov. Among the passengers were five children. However, state news agency TASS reported slightly different figures, citing emergency services as saying 40 passengers and six crew were aboard.
Russia’s Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office revealed that the plane crashed while attempting a second approach to Tynda airport.
“While approaching Tynda Airport, the aircraft went around for a second landing, after which contact was lost,” the prosecutor’s office stated. “The circumstances are being investigated.”
Officials have not yet commented on the potential cause of the crash.
The Antonov-24 involved in the crash was manufactured nearly 50 years ago, according to TASS, though its airworthiness certificate was reportedly extended until 2036 in 2021.
The Antonov-24 is a Soviet-designed twin-propeller aircraft that first entered service in 1959 and remains popular in Russia’s aviation sector.
While Russia has made efforts to modernise its fleet with contemporary jets in recent years, aging light aircraft continue to serve remote regions where accidents occur frequently. The challenging geography and weather conditions in Russia’s far eastern territories often test the limits of older aircraft and aviation infrastructure.
Angara Airlines, a small regional carrier based in Irkutsk, has not yet issued a public statement regarding the incident.
The investigation into the crash circumstances continues as rescue teams work to reach the remote crash site.
