MOSCOW: According to Russian emergency services officials, an Antonov An-24 passenger jet carrying roughly 50 people crashed in Russia’s far east on Thursday, and preliminary reports indicated that all occupants perished.
Rescue workers were racing to the scene when a chopper spotted the smoking fuselage of the roughly 50-year-old Soviet-era aircraft on the ground.
Unconfirmed footage from a helicopter that was shared on social media seemed to indicate that the plane had crashed in a heavily wooded region.
The aircraft was operated by Angara, a Siberian airline, and its tail number indicated that it was constructed in 1976.