An-26 Aircraft Goes Missing with 29 on Board in Russia's Far East
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Antonov An-26 turboprop aircraft traveling over Russia's Far East's isolated remote Kamchatka peninsula has lost communication with air traffic controllers.
The search for the plane has begun. There were a total of 28 persons on board.
On Tuesday morning, Moscow time, local authorities said they were currently “looking for details” about the aircraft's whereabouts, according to the press service of the Main Directorate of the Russian Emergencies Ministry for the Kamchatka territory. It's believed that there are 22 passengers missing, including at least one child and six crew members, RT reported.
Kamchatka is nine hours ahead of the capital. The region is bigger than Ukraine or France, and is home to just over 300,000 people. Featuring 16 active volcanoes, it's surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on one side, and the Sea of Okhtosk on the other.
Russian officials are investigating whether the plane’s disappearance was the result of safety rules violations or bad weather conditions. The Federal Air Transport Agency told Moscow daily RBK that heavy clouds and fog were reported around the area.
Two helicopters and an aircraft are involved in search operations near Palana, a town on the peninsula's west coast, where the An-26 is believed to have gone missing.
The flight was conducted by Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise, a small local carrier, serving routes to remote towns and cities, using a handful of Soviet and Czech-made planes from the communist era.
The An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop designed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s. It entered service in 1970 and production halted in 1986. Hundreds remain in use, primarily by military operators.
