REVISES HEADLINE, SPOT & LEDE; UPDATES WITH LATEST DETAILS ON PLANE; EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - All aboard a Russian passenger plane that disappeared from radar during a Thursday flight in the Far East Amur region died, officials said, as they confirmed it crashed.
The Antonov An-24's wreckage was located, the Emergency Situations Ministry said on Telegram, adding that a helicopter of the Federal Air Transport Agency spotted the burning fuselage during search efforts. According to preliminary information, there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board the plane.
"Rescuers are heading to the scene," the statement said, adding that a hotline was established in the region, which borders China's northeastern Heilongjiang province.
Amur Governor Vasily Orlov said the An-24 was heading from the region’s administrative center, Blagoveshchensk, to Tynda before it went missing.
State news agency TASS, citing the press service of the Amur Center for Civil Defense and Fire Safety, said the wreckage was discovered on a mountainside 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the town of Tynda.
"According to preliminary information, everyone died," TASS said, citing emergency services, noting that it was difficult to land on the crash site.