Russian An-24 plane flew at a very low altitude, gave no distress signals before it crashed

A Russian plane, which went missing in the country’s far eastern Amur region bordering China, is confirmed to have crashed, according to reports. The flight had 46 passengers onboard, including two children.

The An-24 passenger plane of the Angara Airline was on a routine flight when it lost contact. Though the reason for the crash is unknown, the aircraft reportedly caught fire during its descent before crashing into the wilderness.

Russian official news website TASS reported that aerial inspection of the site revealed there were no survivors. "According to the director of Tynda Airport, the plane caught fire upon impact, and a Mi-8 helicopter crew flying over the area reported no signs of survivors," the statement says.

Footage doing the rounds on social media showed the mangled remains of the aircraft with smoke emanating from it.

The plane, operated by Angara Airlines, disappeared from radar after initiating a go-around during its landing approach in Tynda, following which a search mission was launched. No distress signals were emitted prior to the loss of contact.

The plane was performing a regular flight on the Khabarovsk - Blagoveshchensk - Tynda route when it crashed. The communication with the crew was lost several kilometers from the last airport on the route.

The dense taiga and marshland hampered search efforts for the missing aircraft, Russian emergency services said.

While the reason for the plane’s disappearance is not clear, reports hint that the situation could have been affected by the difficult weather conditions in the region. The Amur region had witnessed a storm, following which a state of emergency was in effect.

The initial investigation also hinted at crew error during a low-visibility landing as the likely cause of the crash.