Russian rescue services have located the wreckage of an Antonov An-24 aircraft that vanished near Tynda in the remote Amur region, approximately 16 kilometers (10 miles) from its intended destination. The aircraft, operated by Angara Airlines, was carrying 42 passengers and six crew members when it disappeared from radar on approach to Tynda airport.

The flight had departed from Blagoveshchensk, near the Chinese border, as part of its final leg from Khabarovsk in Russia’s far southeast. Among the passengers were five children, according to Amur regional governor Vasily Orlov, who confirmed that “all necessary resources” were mobilized in the search operation.

Shortly after the disappearance, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that a civil aviation helicopter had spotted the aircraft’s burning fuselage in dense woodland. Rescue teams have since confirmed that the crash site is located on a hillside, and initial footage from the area showed the plane ablaze amid thick forest. Officials believe no one on board survived.

Preliminary investigations are focusing on possible pilot error amid poor weather conditions or a technical failure. The aircraft in question was nearly 50 years old and, despite reportedly passing a recent technical inspection, had been involved in four incidents since 2018, according to Russia’s civil aviation authority.

The An-24 model has a troubled safety record. In 2019, an An-24RV crashed while landing at Nizhneangarsk Airport, killing two crew members. Another Angara-operated An-24 crashed in 2011 into the Ob River in Siberia, resulting in seven fatalities.

This latest tragedy underscores ongoing concerns about the safety of aging aircraft operating in some of Russia’s most remote regions. Investigations are ongoing as authorities work to determine the exact cause of the crash.