After communication between air traffic control and an An-24 passenger plane was lost in the eastern Amur region, Russian authorities began large-scale search works. Composed of almost 50 people, including a number of children, the plane flown by the Siberia-based Angara Airlines went off radar screens on its way to its destination.
Initial reports given by governor of the region Vasily Orlov state that the plane had been destined to Tynda, a town close to the Chinese border and had gone out of contact only a few kilometres out of the airport. There were 43 passengers, five of them being children, and six crew members travelling onboard. Every available force and resource has been mobilised to locate the plane, Orlov wrote on his Telegram channel as reported by Reuters.
Russian Emergencies Ministry issued a statement to confirm that various search and rescue teams (including aircraft and ground teams) were dispatched to search the missing plane. The weather in the area is described as inclement and therefore rescuing people may prove to be hectic. The ministry is concentrating its search in the mountainous region around Tynda, where the plane was last traced.
Angara Airlines, the carrier focusing mainly on remote regions of Siberia, has not provided a detailed report of the accident but acknowledged that they are cooperating with law enforcement agencies to the fullest. The popularity of the An-24 type of aircraft in Russia reflects the fact that it is commonly used on regional flights, but it is decades old, which raises concerns related to maintenance processes and levels of safety.
The incident has awakened a great concern among the relatives of passengers and the crew as the search goes on. Authorities are likely to periodically update the information with the emergence of new facts, and the hope is that the plane and people on board will be found soon.
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