A passenger plane carrying 49 people has crashed in a devastating fireball while attempting to land in a rugged, forested region of Russia’s Far East.
The twin-turboprop An-24, operated by Angara Airlines, vanished from radar as it approached Tynda Airport in the Amur region earlier today. Communication with the cockpit abruptly ceased, prompting a frantic search-and-rescue mission amid harsh weather conditions and near-zero visibility.
Officials say the pilots issued no distress call prior to disappearing from air traffic control. The area surrounding Tynda—thick with wilderness and mountainous terrain—posed significant challenges to responders.
Hours later, helicopters from Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations located wreckage scattered along a mountainside, roughly 16 kilometers from the airport. The charred remains of the fuselage were still burning when first spotted from the air.
Grim footage shared on Telegram shows twisted debris smouldering beneath the trees, a haunting image of the aircraft’s final moments.
“During search operations, a Mi-8 helicopter discovered the burning fuselage of the aircraft. Rescue crews are making their way to the site,” read an official statement.
Among the 49 people on board were six crew members and five children. While initial hopes clung to the possibility of survivors, emergency responders have now stated: “No survivors have been found from the air.”
The ill-fated flight had originated in Khabarovsk, stopping briefly in Blagoveshchensk, where a technical inspection reportedly found no issues. From there, it resumed its journey to Tynda—a remote outpost located more than 5,100 kilometers east of Moscow and just 273 kilometers from the Chinese border.
Efforts to reach the crash site have been hindered by the terrain. “The helicopter with rescuers cannot land—it’s a difficult-to-access area on a steep mountain slope,” emergency officials said.
Amur region governor Vasily Orlov issued a public statement urging calm and caution: “All available forces have been deployed. Please do not rely on unverified information.” He confirmed a hotline has been set up for relatives of the victims.
The aircraft, nearly five decades old, had recently been cleared for operation until 2036. Though originally developed in the late 1950s for military transport, the An-24 has remained in civilian use across remote Russian regions—where safety records remain troubling.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash, as families and the nation await answers in the aftermath of yet another tragic blow to Russia’s aging aviation fleet.