Amur, Russia | July 24
In a devastating blow to Russia’s Far East, a passenger aircraft carrying 49 people, including five children, has crashed into the dense taiga forests of Amur region, with no signs of survivors. The wreckage of the Antonov An-24 was discovered engulfed in flames, scattering twisted metal across the hills — a chilling reminder of the lives lost in silence.
The twin-engine turboprop aircraft vanished from radar on its 570-kilometre domestic route from Blagoveshchensk to Tynda, failing to send a distress signal before disappearing. Search helicopters, battling dense tree cover and rugged terrain, finally located the crash site 15 kilometers from Tynda Airport — tragically close to its destination.
Video released by emergency services showed a Mi-8 chopper hovering over a hauntingly quiet stretch of forest, where smoke and scorched earth marked the scene of the disaster. Governor Vasily Orlov, visibly shaken, confirmed that 49 people were aboard, including four crew members and five children.
“There are no signs of life,” officials stated grimly, as rescue teams braved the burning debris and thick undergrowth.
The Antonov An-24, a Soviet-era aircraft first introduced in the 1950s, has long been a staple of regional Russian aviation. But this crash has rekindled concerns over aging fleets and safety standards in remote regions.
For now, families of the victims wait in agony, clutching hope against hope — but the silence from the forest offers little comfort. A full investigation is underway, yet the cause of the tragedy remains unknown.
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