28 people died in a plane crash in far-east Russia

Russian news agencies report that the Antonov An-26 twin-engined turboprop carrying 28 people crashed in the far-east region of Russia and left no survivors. Due to poor visibility caused by cloudy weather in the area, the plane supposedly crashed into a cliff as it was preparing to land. Onboard were 22 passengers and 6 crew, amongst whom was the mayor of Palana.

According to the emergency ministry, the plane was en route from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Palana, a village in the north of the Kamchatka peninsula, when it lost contact with air traffic control, reports Reuters. A helicopter had been dispatched and ground teams had been deployed to look for the missing aircraft by the emergency ministry, as confirmed by Russia’s civil aviation authority. The wreckage of the plane was found 4-5 kilometres from the Palana airport runway.

Soviet-era planes have had many accidents in recent years, even though Russian Aviation safety standards have improved. The ageing planes are still used for military and civilian flights and are prone to accidents in far-flung regions. An investigation has been launched into the safety compliance of the aircraft.