MOSCOW, July 16. /TASS/. An operation to rescue the crew and passengers of an Antonov An-28 light passenger plane that crash landed in the Tomsk Region has been successfully completed, the press office of the Emergencies Ministry told TASS on Friday.
"Thanks to the prompt and coordinated work of all the emergencies services, the operation to rescue the passengers and the crew of the An-28 plane has been successfully completed," the press office said.
Overall, there were 18 people aboard the plane, including the crew. Currently, 12 passengers are flying to Tomsk from the settlement of Bakchar aboard a Mi-8 helicopter, and the other six people will be delivered there by bus, the Emergencies Ministry said.
An-28 plane incident
An Antonov An-28 plane of the Siberian Light Aviation Airline bound for Tomsk from the town of Kedrovo disappeared from radar screens on Friday afternoon. Airline Deputy CEO Alexander Geniyevsky earlier told TASS that the missing plane’s departure was delayed for ten hours due to bad weather.
The plane’s crew did not report any faults, all the pre-flight procedures were complied with, and the plane was technically fit to fly.
During its flight, the plane made a crash landing, and while no passengers sustained any serious injuries, the An-28’s commander broke his leg. The West Siberian Transport Prosecutor’s Office has launched a probe into the incident, while the Russian Investigative Committee’s Transport Investigation Department has opened a criminal case
An engine failure is the most likely cause behind the crash landing.