There has been a major plane crash in Crimea, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday morning that a Russian military transport plane hit a rock and crashed in Crimea. There were 29 people on board this plane and all of them died. According to the information, the An-26 aircraft crashed on the Black Sea Peninsula after losing contact. Russia took control of this peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
The Defense Ministry confirmed that 23 passengers and six crew members were killed. There has been no report of anyone surviving. “The An-26 plane, with which contact was lost earlier, hit a rock and crashed,” the TASS news agency quoted the ministry as saying. The accident site has been located, but officials have not yet released any further information about the exact circumstances of the accident.
RIA news agency said that initial assessment suggests that the accident may have occurred due to technical problems. Russian defense officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside normal working hours.
The incident raises new concerns over the security of Russian military transport operations and comes at a time when tensions are high in the region. In 2014, Russia occupied Crimea, there has been a long dispute between Ukraine and Russia regarding this area.
The Russian An-26 aircraft (NATO code: Curl) is a twin-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed in the Soviet Union in 1969 and entered service in 1972. It is an improved version of the An-24, with the addition of a rear loading ramp.
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