UPDATE 2 - All dead after Russian plane crashes in Far East region, wreckage found

​​​​​​​REVISES DECK; ADSS LATEST STATEMENTS CRASH; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Everyone who was on board a Russian passenger plane that disappeared from radar in the Far East Amur region has been killed, officials said Thursday.

Svetlana Petrenko, Russia's Investigative Committee spokeswoman, said on Telegram that a criminal case was opened regarding the crash under the Criminal Code on "violation of the rules of traffic and operation of air transport."

"All people on board the aircraft died," said Petrenko, indicating that experts have been sent to the site to provide assistance in the investigation.

Amur Gov. Vasily Orlov initially wrote on Telegram that there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members onboard the Antonov An-24 aircraft, which he said was headed from the region’s administrative center, Blagoveshchensk, to the town of Tynda before it went missing.

Orlov declared three days of mourning in the region, which borders China's northeastern Heilongjiang province, starting Friday. "This terrible tragedy took the lives of 48 people," he added.

The wreckage was located later in the day, according to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, which said the aircraft was flying on the Khabarovsk-Blagoveshchensk-Tynda route.

State news agency Tass, citing the media service of the Amur Center for Civil Defense and Fire Safety, said the wreckage was discovered on a mountainside 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Tynda.

No statement has been made on what exactly caused the crash.