An-2 Plane Goes Missing In Chukotka, Russia

Two crew members and a passenger were on board.

The An-2 light aircraft disappeared in the Chukotka Autonomous District of the Russian Federation, reports "Interfax" with reference to the representative of the Far Eastern transport Prosecutor's office.

The aircraft was carrying cargo and stopped communicating, the agency's interlocutor said. He specified that there were two crew members and a passenger on board of the An-2.

According to the "112" telegram channel, the board belongs to the "Strizh Avia" company. The aircraft was on the route of Pevek - Polyarny - Pevek. TASS cites the same data.

An interlocutor in the operational services of the Russian Federation told the agency that the search for the aircraft has begun. An Mi-8 helicopter with rescuers on board flew along the route of the missing vessel. At the moment the last coordinates of the An-2 are known, but so far it has not been possible to locate it or establish communication.

Rescuers and volunteers on all-terrain vehicles have also been sent to the search, the operational services added.

As specified by RBC in the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the aircraft departed for its destination at about 1:40 (Minsk time) and did not get in touch by the time it was supposed to land. It became known about it at about 5:30 (Minsk time), and rescuers were sent to search for the plane. The agency confirmed that the plane belonged to "Strizh Avia.

Updated

The missing An-2 in Chukotka, tentatively, fell in front of a hillside near the village of Polyarny, reports Mash.

Initially, an all-terrain vehicle was sent there, but due to the abundance of snow, it had to return. Now they are getting more powerful machinery to explore the area and find the plane.

The commander of the crew - Aleksey Levin - has not yet got in touch. It is known that the An-2 also had 150kg of cargo on board.