A passenger plane carrying 49 people has suffered a fiery crash in a remote region in Russia’s Far East.

The An-24 twin-turboprop aircraft operated by Angara Airlines dropped off radar as it came into land at Tynda airport in the Amur region earlier today.

Search and rescue parties were dispatched after air traffic controllers lost all communication with the pilots making their second approach to the airport, having circled around on their first attempt.

They did not report any problems before losing contact, according to Russia’s TASS news service, but weather conditions were poor with low visibility and Tynda is surrounded by dense forest and mountainous terrain.

The plane was confirmed to have gone down after helicopters dispatched by Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations spotted remnants of the plane’s fuselage on a mountainside some 16 kilometres from Tynda.

Videos shared on Telegram by emergency workers showed the smouldering ruins of the plane scattered amid the trees.

‘During the search operations, the Mi-8 helicopter of the Federal Air Transport Agency discovered the fuselage of the plane, which is on fire. Rescuers continue to proceed to the scene of the incident,’ a statement from the Ministry read.

Of the 49 people on board, six are crew members and five passengers are listed as children.

It is not yet known whether anyone on board survived the impact, but preliminary reports from emergency services suggest everyone was killed, according to RIA Novosti.

‘No survivors have been found from the air,’ an emergency services report said.

The plane was confirmed to have gone down after helicopters dispatched by Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations spotted remnants of the plane’s fuselage on a mountainside some 16 kilometres from Tynda

Videos shared on Telegram by emergency workers showed the smouldering ruins of the plane scattered amid the trees

The An-24 is an ageing propeller aircraft developed in the Soviet Union during the late 1950s as a transport plane (pictured: Stock image of An-24 operated by Angara Airlines

The town of Tynda is extremely remote. It is located some 5,170 kilometres (3,213 miles) east of Moscow and just 273 kilometres (169 miles) from the Chinese border.

The doomed plane had taken off earlier today from the eastern city of Khabarovsk and landed for a brief layover in Blagoveshchensk before continuing on to Tynda.

It underwent a technical inspection while on the runway at Blagoveshchensk’s Ignatyevo airport and was found to be technically sound, according to emergency services.

The Amur regional government declared that air ambulances had been dispatched along with search and rescue parties to administer medical treatment to survivors.

‘So far, the helicopter with rescuers cannot land in the area of the crash – it is a hard-to-reach area, a mountain slope,’ a spokesperson for emergency services told TASS.

Vasily Orlov, Governor of Amur, wrote in a statement: ‘All necessary forces and means are involved in searching for the plane. I kindly ask you not to trust unverified information.’

A hotline for relatives of passengers has been set up by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Orlov added.

An investigation has been opened by Russian authorities into the cause of the crash.

The An-24 is an ageing propeller aircraft developed in the Soviet Union during the late 1950s as a transport plane.

It has long been converted for civilian purposes and is frequently used as a passenger plane, particularly in remote regions of Russia, where air safety records are poor.

The crashed An-24 was manufactured almost 50 years ago, but recently had its airworthiness certificate extended until 2036, according to Russia’s Lenta news service.

An Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying about 50 people crashed in Russia’s far east on Thursday and initial information suggested that everyone on board was killed, Russian emergency services officials said.

The burning fuselage of the plane, which was from 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.

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

The plane, whose tail number showed it was built in 1976, was operated by a Siberia-based airline called Angara.

It was en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk to Tynda and dropped off radar screens while approaching Tynda, a remote town in the Amur region bordering China.

There were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board according to preliminary data, Vasily Orlov, the regional governor said.

The emergencies ministry put the number of people on board somewhat lower, at around 40.

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

“Rescuers continue to make their way to the scene of the accident”.

Authorities announced an investigation into the crash.

“All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane,” said regional governor Vasily Orlov on Telegram. He also stated that early reports indicated there were 43 passengers on board, including five children, along with six crew members.

Officials have not yet confirmed the reason for the disappearance, and weather conditions in the area at the time of the incident remain unclear.

Debris located, conflicting reports on passenger numbers

Shortly after the plane went missing, news agency Interfax reported that debris from the aircraft had been located in the region. The location of the wreckage has not yet been publicly disclosed.

While Governor Orlov reported that 49 people were onboard, Russia’s emergencies ministry gave a slightly lower figure, estimating the number of people onboard to be closer to 40. The discrepancy has yet to be clarified.

Authorities are continuing to search the site and assess the situation. There has been no official word yet on survivors or casualties.

2025 has turned into a grim year for global aviation, with a noticeable rise in aircraft accidents. From Asia to Africa, the skies have seen tragedy unfold — and now, yet another disaster has shaken Russia. In a chilling reminder of the challenges faced by aging regional fleets, a Russian passenger plane carrying 49 people has crashed in the country’s remote Far East.

This marks the second major aviation mishap for Russia this year, reigniting concerns over aircraft maintenance and operational safety across regional airlines. According to preliminary reports from Russian media, there are no survivors.

The ill-fated aircraft, an Antonov An-24 operated by the Siberia-based airline Angara, vanished from radar on approach to its destination, Tynda, a remote town in Russia’s Amur region, which borders China. The Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that the twin turboprop plane lost contact with air traffic controllers shortly before its scheduled landing.

Shortly after the disappearance, Interfax reported that debris from the missing aircraft had been located, though the exact coordinates of the wreckage remain undisclosed. Rescue teams have since been dispatched to the scene, working through the challenging terrain to search for signs of life and to begin a formal investigation.

[News]Russian An-24 aircraft crashed in the Far East, with 50 people on board and no survivors

🕯️RIP pic.twitter.com/cNuJrzHzm9 — The turbulent Eurasian continent (@huan95982554) July 24, 2025

While official confirmation on the death toll is still awaited, initial data points to a complete loss of life onboard.

The An-24 aircraft, developed during the Soviet era, is known for its rugged design suited for harsh conditions and short runways, especially in isolated regions like Siberia. Despite its durability, the model is decades old, and experts have long expressed concerns over the reliability of older aircraft still in commercial service across Russia’s vast regional network.

Russia, which spans 11 time zones and relies heavily on air travel for remote connectivity, often witnesses aviation incidents — many of which, while non-fatal, involve emergency landings and mid-flight technical snags. But major crashes like this reignite urgent debates around fleet modernization, maintenance standards, and airline oversight.

As investigations continue and families await formal confirmation, this crash adds another somber chapter to a year already marred by aviation tragedies.

Russian plane crashes in Amur, kills all 49 on board

A Russian An-24 aircraft operated by Angara Airlines crashed near Tynda in the Amur region, killing all 49 people onboard, including five children. The plane reportedly caught fire mid-air and vanished from radar before rescue teams found the wreckage.

By IANS Published Date – 24 July 2025, 01:27 PM

Representational image.

Moscow: A Russian An-24 aircraft carrying 49 people, including five children and six crew members, crashed in the mountainous Amur region on Thursday, killing all on board, according to local media reports.

The ill-fated flight, operated by the Siberia-based Angara Airlines, had departed from Blagoveshchensk and was en route to Tynda, near the Russia-China border, when it lost contact with air traffic controllers shortly before its scheduled landing.

According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, the aircraft reportedly caught fire mid-air and vanished from radar.

Rescue helicopters later located the burning wreckage on a remote mountainside, approximately 16 kilometres from Tynda. Officials from the Amur Centre for Civil Defence and Fire Safety confirmed that “no survivors were found when a Mi-8 search helicopter flew over the crash site.”

“The aircraft caught fire upon crashing,” said a spokesperson. “Rescue operations have been hampered by the extremely difficult terrain, as the crash site lies on a steep, inaccessible slope.”

The harsh geographical conditions of the region — dense taiga forests and swampy terrain — further complicated rescue efforts. The aircraft did not send any distress signals before disappearing, heightening questions over what went wrong.

Preliminary reports suggest the An-24 may have been attempting a second approach to land at Tynda Airport when it went off the radar. A Rosaviatsia aircraft and multiple rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the area when the information was received earlier in the day.

“All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane,” said Amur region governor Vasily Orlov.

Investigators from the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office have launched a probe into the incident. The cause of the crash remains unclear, and officials are expected to begin recovery operations and black box retrieval once ground access becomes possible.