A Russian passenger plane carrying about 50 people has crashed in the country’s east, leaving no survivors according to preliminary data, local news agencies said.

The local emergencies ministry said on Thursday that the An-24 plane, operated by a Siberia-based airline called Angara, dropped off radar screens while approaching its destination of Tynda, a town in the Amur region bordering China.

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Russian rescuers found the fuselage of the plane in flames, the emergency ministry said and debris from the plane was located in the Amur region, Russian news agency Interfax reported.

“An Mi-8 helicopter operated by Rosaviatsiya (Russia’s civil aviation authority) has spotted the burning fuselage of the aircraft,” Russia’s emergencies ministry said on Telegram.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, an error by the plane’s crew while landing and poor visibility are possible reasons for the crash.

Regional Governor Vasily Orlov said that, according to preliminary data, there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board.

The emergencies ministry put the number of people on board somewhat lower, at about 40.

Flying in Russia can be particularly dangerous in the vast country’s isolated hinterland, such as the Arctic and the far east, where weather conditions are frequently extreme.

While Russian aviation safety standards have improved in recent years, accidents, especially involving ageing planes in far-flung regions, are not uncommon.

In 2021, an ageing Antonov An-26 transport plane crashed in the Russian far east, killing six people. All 28 people on board an Antonov An-26 twin-engine turboprop also died in a crash in Kamchatka in July that year.

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The country also frequently experiences non-fatal air incidents that result in rerouted flights and emergency landings, usually stemming from technical issues.