Kochi: A 1976 model Russian passenger plane crashed killing 48 in the country’s far east on Thursday just before landing, media reports said.
The deceased included five children and six crew members on board.
A criminal case has been registered for a suspected air traffic violation and air transport rules due to negligence, the reports said.
Search and recover was grueling due to poor access to the accident site.
Russia has eclared three days of mourning, ordering flags to be lowered to half mast.
The plane, which was a privately owned Siberian-based regional airline called Angara, was operated by Soviet flag carrier Aeroflot before the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
The aircraft was on a flight from the city of Blagoveshchensk to Tynda, a remote town bordering China.
The aircraft dropped off radar screens while preparing to land.
The federal Russian government said it had set up a commission to deal with the aftermath of the crash and authorities announced an investigation into the cause.
One Chinese citizen was reported to have been on board.
Angara airline, which serves airports in Siberia and Russia’s far east, operates 10 An-24s built between 1972 and 1976, according to the RussianPlanes web-portal.
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