OAN Staff Abril Elfi 
11:30 AM – Thursday, July 24, 2025

A passenger plane carrying 48 people has crashed in Russia, killing everyone aboard, including five minors.

On Thursday, an Antonov An-24 aircraft lost contact with air traffic control at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time while traveling from Blagoveshchensk, which is on the Russian-Chinese border, to Tynda Airport in Amur Oblast, Russia.

Originally, it was announced that 43 passengers and six crew members were aboard the aircraft. However, the Associated Press reported that the governor, Vasily Orlov, informed media sources that there were actually 48 people aboard — though they all perished in the crash.

“Rescue helicopters have been unable to land at the crash site due to the challenging mountainous terrain. The area remains engulfed in flames,” a source told news agency TASS.

He also told the outlet that there were five children among the passengers. 

According to the Amur Center for Civil Defense and Fire Safety, the plane crash was discovered on a mountainside, approximately 10 miles away from Tynda. 

Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed to the Associated Press that authorities had found the aircraft’s “burning fuselage,” but they didn’t provide anymore details.

Officials announced that the plane caught fire during its descent, and that the plane had attempted a second approach at landing before all contact with the aircraft was lost. 

The An-24 aircraft model is approximately 50 years old and has a history of operational issues, according to a BBC report.

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