At least 29 people were killed after a Russian An-26 military transport aircraft crashed into a cliff in Crimea, officials said.
Russia’s defence ministry stated that the aircraft was on a scheduled flight when contact was lost around 6 pm local time on Tuesday. A search operation later located the wreckage, confirming that all six crew members and 23 passengers on board had died, with no survivors reported.
Preliminary findings suggest the crash was caused by a technical malfunction. Authorities said there were no indications of external factors such as missiles, drones, or bird strikes contributing to the incident.
“There was no external impact on the aircraft. The likely cause of the crash is a technical fault,” the ministry said, adding that a military commission has been deployed to investigate further.
The An-26, a light tactical transport aircraft introduced in the late 1960s, has long been used for both military and civilian operations. However, it has been involved in multiple fatal crashes in recent years, including incidents in Ukraine, South Sudan, and Ivory Coast.
