 "Plane flying over Russia goes off radar near China border. Representative Image")
Russia’s air traffic control has said that it has lost contact with an An-24 passenger plane with nearly 50 people on board. The plane was flying over the Amur region in Russia’s far east when the air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft, Reuters reported.
The debris of the aircraft was later found in the Amur region. Soon after the incident, the regional governor issued a statement noting that the search for the aircraft is currently underway.
Meanwhile, the local emergency ministry said that the plane was operated by a Siberia-based airline called Angara. It dropped off the radar screens while it was approaching its destination of Tynda, a town in the Amur region that borders China, Reuters reported.
No survivor found as of now
Regional Governor Vasily Orlov said that according to preliminary data, there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board. “All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane,” he wrote on Telegram. The emergencies ministry put the number of people on board somewhat lower, at around 40.
Shortly after it was reported that the plane went off the radar, the authorities noted that the debris from the aircraft was found in the Amur region. As per the report, a rescue helicopter located the burning fuselage of a Russian passenger plane that went missing on Thursday.
According to Russian news outlet Tass, the aircraft caught fire while descending, and no survivors were spotted during an aerial inspection of the site. “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 regional civil defence and fire safety centre said in a statement to the Russian news outlet.