Vladivostok, July 25 (IANS) Authorities in Russia’s Amur Oblast and Khabarovsk Territory declared three days of mourning through Sunday following the crash of an An-24 passenger aircraft that claimed the lives of all people on board.
“With deep sorrow, I must announce that there are no survivors in the An-24 plane crash in Tynda, according to preliminary data. A three-day mourning period has been declared in the Amur Oblast. On July 25, 26 and 27, flags will be flown at half-mast across all territories of the region,” said Governor Vasily Orlov on his Telegram channel, on Thursday.
The Khabarovsk regional government has also announced mourning, as some of the victims were residents of the area.
Governor Dmitry Demeshin said that each victim’s family would receive 1 million rubles (12,500 US dollars) in compensation, along with coverage of travel expenses to the crash site, Xinhua news agency reported.
All necessary payments should be made to relatives of all deceased passengers and crew members, said Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin in a statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed his condolences.
The aircraft, operated by Angara Airlines, disappeared from radar on Thursday morning when approaching Tynda airport. Its wreckage was later found on a mountainside approximately 15 km from the city.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has ordered the creation of a government commission, headed by Nikitin, to oversee the response and compensation process. A criminal case has been opened to investigate the crash.
The Transport Ministry said 42 passengers and six crew members were on the crashed plane, including five children.
The aircraft did not send any distress signals before disappearing, heightening questions over what went wrong.
Preliminary reports suggest the An-24 may have been attempting a second approach to land at Tynda Airport when it went off the radar.
–IANS
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