Passenger plane crashes in Russia's far east, nearly 50 people on board feared dead
By Andrew Osborn and Gleb Stolyarov
MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Russian Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying about 50 people crashed in the country's far east on Thursday and everyone on board was feared to have been killed, emergency services officials said.
The burning fuselage of the plane, which was made in the Soviet era and was nearly 50 years old, was spotted on the ground by a helicopter and rescue crews were rushing to the scene.
Video shot from a helicopter and posted on social media, showed the plane came down in a densely forested area. Pale smoke could be seen rising from the crash site.
The plane was on a flight by a privately owned Siberian-based regional airline called Angara. The aircraft's tail number showed it was built in 1976 and was operated by Soviet flag carrier Aeroflot before the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
The plane was en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk to Tynda, a remote town and important railway junction in the Amur region bordering China. It dropped off radar screens while preparing to land.
There were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board according to preliminary data, Vasily Orlov, the regional governor said.
The federal Russian government put the number of passengers on board at 42.
Debris from the plane was found on a hill around 15 km (10 miles) from Tynda, the Interfax news agency quoted emergency service officials as saying.
"During the search operation, an Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Rossaviatsiya discovered the fuselage of the aircraft, which was on fire," the emergency services ministry said on Telegram.
"Rescuers continue to make their way to the scene of the accident."
A representative from Angara told Reuters they could not offer any more details.
The federal Russian government said it had set up a commission to deal with the aftermath of the crash and authorities announced an investigation into the cause.
The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had been notified of the crash.
'FLYING TRACTORS'
Angara airline is based in the Siberian city of Irkutsk and serves airports in Siberia and Russia's far east. It operates 10 An-24s built between 1972 and 1976, according to the RussianPlanes web-portal.
Angara was one of two Siberian airlines that last year asked the Russian government to extend the service life of the Antonov aircraft, many of which are over 50 years old, as Russian planemakers scramble to plug the gap left by an exodus of foreign manufacturers.
Nicknamed "flying tractors" by some, the propeller-driven An-24s are regarded as reliable workhorses by the Russian aviation industry and are well-suited to the harsh conditions in Siberia as they are able to operate in sub-zero conditions and don't have to land on runways.
But airline executives, pilots and industry experts say the cost of maintaining the Antonovs - which make up a fraction of Russia's fleet of over 1,000 passenger planes - has increased after Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine hit investment and access to parts.
Many of the planes were due to be retired from service in the coming years, but regional airlines are trying to keep them flying until a replacement enters into service as they say there is no alternative until then.
Mass production of the new Ladoga aircraft, the same class as the An-24, is not due to begin until 2027 at the earliest.
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