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A Russian military cargo plane crashed as it was descending to land at an airbase in Syria on Tuesday, killing all 32 people onboard, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Russian military said an An-26, with 26 passengers and six crew members onboard, crashed just 500 meters from the runway. The military blamed the crash on a technical error.
Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, leases the Hemeimeem military base in Syria, near the Mediterranean coast.
The base is far from the front lines of the conflict, but came under shelling in December. The Russian military insisted the cargo plane did not come under fire, while saying it would conduct a full investigation.
The military did not immediately identify the victims.
President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash after receiving a briefing by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Interfax news agency quoted a spokeswoman for Russia's Investigative Committee, which handles high-profile cases, as saying Russian investigators have been dispatched to Syria to look into the crash.
It was the second Russian military plane to crash in Syria this year, after a Su-25 ground attack jet was struck by a portable air defense missile over the northern Idlib province last month.
The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engine transport plane designed in the late 1960s in the Soviet Union. Large numbers have remained in service in Russia and many other countries around the world.
An An-26 belonging to a military flight school crash-landed and caught fire southeast of Moscow in May, killing one crewmember.
The RIA Novosti news agency on Tuesday quoted Col. Gen. Nikolai Antoshkin, former deputy commander of the Russian Air Force, as calling the An-26 a “reliable machine” even though it has been out of production since 1986.
Comments (7) Closed
Russia is struggling with budget and upkeeping of equipment
India must be thanking its lucky stars that it is finally reducing its dependence on Russian workhorses like the MIGs and other transport planes. There was a time last decade when they were called flying coffins by the Indians as they would literally fall from the skies either due to maintenance, spare parts or handling.
Pakistan wants to buy these used planes from Russia?
Why would a crash kill all on board? while it was landing and just 500 meters above ground?
Chinese and Russians Compromise on safety in lieu of price, absolute detritus they create. American and Western Europe is far more conscious and advance.
Sad indeed
RIP souls, may your family gets peace in these sad times, also may the families of those who are suffering and lost loved ones in syria get peace in this time of sadness.
Thank you Dr Salam and his team for making Pakistan's defense strong.
IndoPak Blood Brothers 4 Life!