A Russian military transport plane has crashed in annexed Crimea, killing all 29 people on board in a devastating incident that is now under investigation.
The An-26 aircraft lost contact with military control at around 6pm on Tuesday while carrying out a scheduled flight over the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Russian news agencies, citing the Defence Ministry, initially reported that six crew members and 23 passengers were on board. However, Russia’s Investigative Committee later stated there were seven crew members among those on board, leaving uncertainty over whether anyone may have survived.
The aircraft is believed to have crashed into a cliff in a remote, mountainous forest area, according to sources at the scene quoted by state agencies Tass and RIA Novosti.
Early indications from the Defence Ministry suggest the crash was caused by a technical malfunction, with officials stating there was no evidence of “damaging interference”.
A criminal investigation has now been launched by Russia’s Investigative Committee on suspicion of violations of flight safety regulations. Search and recovery efforts remain ongoing at the crash site.
The An-26, a Soviet-designed military turboprop aircraft, has been widely used for transport operations for decades.
The tragedy marks a significant loss of life and is likely to raise further questions over the condition and maintenance of ageing military aircraft.
