The Russian Ministry of Defense has told state media that a Russian military plane has crashed in Crimea, killing 29 people on board.
The Russian Defense Ministry told Russian news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti that the An-26 aircraft lost contact with authorities during a “routine flight” after which its wreckage was found.
News agencies have reported with reference to the Ministry of Defense that it appears that the plane crashed into a mountain due to technical problems. Six crew members and 23 passengers were on board this plane. No one is expected to survive the accident.
According to Tass, contact with the plane was lost around 6pm local time on Tuesday, and the wreckage was found during search and rescue efforts.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
The Ministry of Defense says that there is no external damage to the aircraft, which means that the aircraft has not crashed due to a missile, drone or bird strike.
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