No survivors after plane crashes in eastern Russia

A Russian plane carrying 48 people - including children - has crashed with no survivors, according to reports.

The aircraft was flying from the city of Blagoveshchensk on the Russian-Chinese border to the remote town of Tynda, regional governor Vasily Orlov said. "All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane," Mr Orlov said on Telegram, adding all passengers and crew were killed in the crash.

An error during landing in poor visibility caused the crash in the eastern part of the Amur region, TASS news agency reported. Unverified video, shot from a helicopter and posted on social media, appeared to show the plane had come down in a densely forested area.

It caught fire during its descent, and no survivors were spotted during an aerial inspection of the site, TASS said, quoting a statement from the regional civil defence and fire safety centre. "According to the director of Tynda Airport, the plane caught fire upon impact, and a Mi-8 helicopter crew flying over the area reported no signs of survivors," the statement said.

The Interfax news agency, citing unnamed sources in the emergency services, said there were difficult weather conditions in the area. The transport prosecutor's office in Russia's far east reported the site of the crash was 10 miles (15km) south of Tynda, adding in an online statement that the plane was trying to make a second approach during landing when contact with it was lost.

Burning fuselage of the plane, which was from the Soviet era and was nearly 50 years old, was found by a rescue helicopter south of Tynda, emergency officials said, adding that rescue crews were rushing to the scene. The Antonov An-24 turboprop plane, built in 1976 according to its tail number, and operated by a privately-owned Siberia-based airline called Angara, disappeared from radar over the area, local officials said.

It was believed to be a few kilometres away from its destination when it lost contact, the SHOT news agency reported. Read more from Sky News:Town 'on edge' ahead of hotel protest11 dead in escalating tensions'Man-made starvation' in Gaza The local emergencies ministry put the number of people on board somewhat lower, at around 40, while Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said 48 people were on board the flight.

It was unclear why numbers differed. Yuliya Petina, an emergency services official, wrote on Telegram: "During the search operation, a Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Rossaviatsiya discovered the fuselage of the aircraft, which was on fire.

"Rescuers continue to make their way to the scene of the accident". An investigation has been launched, authorities said..