Plane crash in Russia’s Far East leaves 48 dead

Forty-eight people were confirmed dead Thursday after a plane crashed in Russia’s Far East region.

The country’s Emergency Situations Ministry said search crews found the An-24 passenger plane’s burning fuselage on a hillside south of its planned destination in the town of Tynda, which is located near the Russia’s border with China.

Regional Gov. Vasily Orlov said in a statement that all 48 people aboard were dead, and announced three days of mourning in the Amur region over what he called a "terrible tragedy."

Images of the reported crash site circulated by Russian state media show debris scattered among dense forest, surrounded by plumes of smoke.

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It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash. Russia’s Interfax news agency said there were adverse weather conditions at the time of the crash, citing unnamed sources in the emergency services.

Several Russian news outlets also reported that the aircraft was almost 50 years old, citing data taken from the plane’s tail number.

Reuters, citing Russian news agencies, also reported that the plane recently passed a safety inspection but was involved in four apparently minor incidents dating back to 2018.

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Orlov said rescuers had struggled to reach the site due to its remote location, 9 miles south of Tynda.

The transport prosecutor's office said the plane attempted a second approach while trying to land when contact with it was lost.

The Soviet-designed twin turbo prop plane had initially departed from Khabarovsk before making its way to Blagoveshchensk on the Russian-Chinese border and onwards to Tynda.

The flight was operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines.

Aviation incidents have been frequent in Russia, especially in recent years as international sanctions have squeezed the country’s aviation sector, according to the Associated Press.

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.