49 people dead after Russian plane ‘vanishes’ 10 miles from destination

A flight has crashed close to the border between Russia and China, killing all 49 passengers and crew onboard.

The An-24 plane, operated by Siberia-based Angara airlines, had departed from the city of Blagoveshchensk and was bound for the town of Tynda, located 353 miles northwest of Blagoveshchensk in the Amur Oblast.

According to local reports, burning wreckage from the flight was discovered by a rescue helicopter on a mountainside close to Tynda, with no survivors from the crash.

"During the search operations, the Mi-8 helicopter of the Federal Air Transport Agency discovered the fuselage of the plane, which is on fire," The Ministry of Emergency Situations said. "Rescuers continue to proceed to the scene of the incident."

"The An-24 plane was flying the Khabarovsk-Blagoveshchensk-Tynda route. Near the final point, it failed to check in. There is no contact with it," a statement from local emergency services added to Russian news agency Interfax.

The flight was carrying 43 passengers, including five children, as well as six crew members.