29 killed in Russian military plane crash over Crimea

A Russian An-26 military transport plane went down into a cliff in Crimea, resulting in the deaths of 29 individuals on board, likely due to a technical issue, as reported by Russia's defense ministry early Wednesday, according to news sources. The TASS news agency mentioned that contact with the aircraft was lost around 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) on Tuesday during a scheduled flight over Crimea. This peninsula, known for its large mountains that slope down to the Black Sea, was taken by Russia from Ukraine in 2014. TASS reported that the defense ministry stated a search team located the crash site. The report confirmed that six crew members and 23 passengers died in the incident. While the ministry did not specify the total number of people on board, it also did not indicate any survivors from the An-26, which is a light tactical military transport that has been used for decades to carry goods and up to 40 passengers over short and medium distances. TASS quoted the ministry saying that there was no external impact on the aircraft, suggesting that factors such as missiles, drones, or birds were not involved. The preliminary investigation points to a technical malfunction as the cause of the crash, and a military commission is currently on-site. The defense ministry of Russia did not immediately reply to requests for comments outside regular business hours. The An-26 has been operational since the late 1960s and has also been used by airlines for cargo transport, but this model has seen several deadly accidents in the last ten years. In 2022, a Ukrainian An-26 crashed during a technical flight in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, resulting in one fatality. Another incident occurred in 2020 when a training flight in northeastern Ukraine crashed, leaving only one of the 27 passengers alive.