MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Radio contact has been lost with an An-2 plane with six people aboard in Russia’s Siberian republic of Buryatia, a spokesman for the Russian emergencies ministry’s regional department.

"It was reported at 20:21 Moscow time that contact was lost with an An-2 (tail number 71276) of the Fenix air company. There were six people aboard, including two crewmembers. The An-2 plane took off from the settlement of Kyren in Buryatia. Its flight route is unknown," the spokesman said.

A search operation in underway. According to preliminary data, the plane was used to spray chemicals over lands under crops. The application for a flight permit was not approved.