An An-24 passenger plane with about 50 people suddenly lost contact with air traffic control while flying over the Amur region in eastern Russia.

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On the afternoon of July 24, an An-24 passenger plane carrying about 50 passengers suddenly lost contact with air traffic controllers while flying over the Amur region in eastern Russia.

The fuselage is believed to have caught fire, and more debris was found in the Amur area. Currently, details about the incident have not been released.

According to the update, no one survived.

An-24 passenger aircraft.

The local emergency ministry said the plane, operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines, disappeared from radar screens while on its way to Tynda, a town in the Amur region bordering China.

Regional Governor Vasily Orlov added that according to preliminary data, there were 43 passengers, including 5 children and 6 crew members on board. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced that the number of people on board was lower, at about 40 people.

According to Reuters, unverified video footage taken from a helicopter and posted on social media shows the plane crashing into a jungle area before catching fire.

“During the search for the aircraft, the Mi-8 rescue helicopter detected a burning part of the passenger compartment,” the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations informed, and they are conducting a preliminary assessment from the scene.

The An-24 passenger aircraft was built in 1976, operated by a Siberian-based airline called Akara. The wreckage of the plane was found on a hill about 15 kilometers from Tynda, the Interfax news agency quoted emergency services officials as saying.