Russian plane vanishes near Chinese border with dozens on board

Shafaq News – Moscow

A Russian passenger aircraft carrying nearly 50 people disappeared from radar in the Far Eastern Amur region on Thursday.

The Antonov An-24, operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines, lost communication with air traffic control while approaching the town of Tynda, according to the regional emergencies ministry. The aircraft reportedly vanished from radar screens without warning, prompting a swift deployment of rescue teams.

Amur Oblast Governor, Vasily Orlov, said preliminary information indicated 49 people were on board, including 43 passengers—five of them children—and six crew members. He stated on Telegram that “all necessary forces and means” had been mobilized for the search.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations suggested that the plane was flying the Khabarovsk-Blagoveshchensk-Tynda route, with approximately 40 people on board.

The debris of the plane was later located by a rescue helicopter on a hillside about 16km (10 miles) from Tynda.