Passenger plane crashes in eastern Russia

A passenger plane flying from Blagoveshchensk to Tynda in eastern Russia crashed on Thursday, with no sign that any of the 49 people on board survived the disaster, Russian authorities have said.

The wreckage of the Angara Airlines Antonov An-24, one of the oldest passenger planes still in operation, has been located about 15 km (9 miles) from Tynda, the Civil Defense Ministry said.

What do we know about the crash?

Vasily Orlov, governor of the Amur region where the crash occurred, said the plane was carrying 43 passengers, including five children, in addition to six crew members. 

The aircraft reportedly vanished from radar during its second approach to Tynda.

According to the ministry, the crew had not reported any problems prior to the crash, but difficult weather conditions were said to prevail in the region.

Media reports suggested the troubled weather might have led to misjudgements of altitude, leading to the plane brushing the tops of trees as it approached the airport.

The plane, which had reportedly been inspected before takeoff without any shortcomings detected, had begun its flight in Khabarovsk before stopping over at Blagoveshchensk, authorities said. 

Aging aircraft

The aircraft was said to be more than 50 years old.

Russia's aviation sector has faced growing problems as Western sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine affect the availability of spare parts, among other things.

Russian prosecutors have launched an investigation into the Siberia-based airline runnng the flight.