Amur: Everyone on board a Russian passenger plane that went off radar in the Far East Amur region has been confirmed dead, officials announced. Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for Russia's Investigative Committee, stated on Telegram that a criminal case had been initiated under the Criminal Code for "violation of the rules of traffic and operation of air transport."
According to Anadolu Agency, Petrenko revealed that all individuals on the aircraft perished, with experts being dispatched to the crash site to assist in the investigation. Amur Governor Vasily Orlov had earlier noted on Telegram that the Antonov An-24 aircraft carried 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members. The plane was en route from Blagoveshchensk, the region's administrative center, to Tynda when it disappeared.
Orlov declared a three-day mourning period in the region, which borders China's Heilongjiang province. He remarked, "This terrible tragedy took the lives of 48 people." The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry reported the wreckage was found later, with the aircraft on the Khabarovsk-Blagoveshchensk-Tynda route.
State news agency Tass, citing the Amur Center for Civil Defense and Fire Safety, reported the wreckage was discovered 16 kilometers from Tynda on a mountainside. The cause of the crash has not been determined.
Condolences have poured in from global leaders. Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed shock over the crash, offering condolences for the loss of lives and sympathies to the families. Malaysian Prime Minister Ibrahim Anwar also conveyed his sorrow, noting the fragility of life and global connectedness.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi also sent their condolences through various statements and messages.