Russian military plane loses contact, crashes in Crimea; 29 feared dead

Moscow: A Russian Antonov An-26 military transport aircraft has crashed over the Crimean Peninsula, killing all 29 people on board, according to reports from TASS.

Russia’s defence ministry said contact with the aircraft was lost at approximately 18:00 Moscow time on 31 March while it was carrying out a scheduled flight over the region.

Search and rescue teams were deployed and later located the crash site. Officials confirmed that all six crew members and 23 passengers on board the aircraft died in the incident.

Preliminary assessments from the scene found no evidence of external impact or interference. Authorities indicated that a technical malfunction is the most likely cause of the crash, though an investigation is ongoing.

The Antonov An-26 is a widely used military transport aircraft designed during the Soviet era and remains in service across several countries.