A Russian military transport plane has crashed in Crimea. All 29 people on board have died, according to authorities in Moscow.
The incident occurred during a routine flight, and initial reports suggest a technical problem, as reported by The Guardian and BBC.
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that the An-26 aircraft disappeared from radar on Tuesday around 18:00 (Moscow time) while flying over the Crimean peninsula.
There were 23 passengers and six crew members on board. Authorities have not reported any survivors.
Subsequently, the wreckage of the plane was located after a search and rescue operation.
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The aircraft crashed into a cliff
According to the Tass news agency, the plane crashed in a rocky area after losing contact with the control tower.
The Ministry of Defence stated that there are no indications of an external cause - such as a missile attack or a bird strike - which reinforces the hypothesis of a technical malfunction.
RIA Novosti agency also quotes sources pointing to technical issues as the probable cause of the accident.
An old model involved in several accidents
The An-26 is a Soviet-designed military transport aircraft, used since the 1960s for cargo and personnel transport over short and medium distances.
The model has been involved in several serious accidents in recent years. In 2020, one such plane crashed near Kharkiv, and almost all on board died. Another incident occurred in 2022 in the Zaporizhia region, southeastern Ukraine. Other accidents have been reported in Russia and Africa.
The Crimean peninsula, where the accident occurred, has become a strategic point in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in recent years, being frequently targeted by attacks on Russian military bases.
Russian authorities have not yet provided additional details on the exact circumstances of the crash.