Wreckage Found: Missing Russian Passenger Plane Carrying 49 People Crashes

The wreckage of a Russian Antonov-24 passenger plane, which disappeared from radar screens earlier on Thursday in the far east of Russia, has been found. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced that rescue teams located the burned fuselage of the aircraft, which was carrying 49 people.

The ministry stated via Telegram: "A Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Rosaviatsia (the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency) found the burned body of the aircraft." Initial data from emergency services indicates that all 49 people on board the ill-fated plane perished, with no survivors.

Earlier on Thursday, reports indicated that contact with the plane was lost while it was flying in the airspace of the Amur region. The reasons for the loss of contact and the nature of the plane's mission remain unclear.

"An-24" aircraft are older Soviet-era models primarily used for domestic and regional transport within Russia and some Central Asian countries. This tragic incident once again brings into focus the aviation safety of older aircraft operating in the region.