A Russian military plane has crashed in the occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, killing 29 people on board, the Russian defence ministry has said.
Wreckage of the An-26 aircraft was found on Tuesday after the plane lost contact with authorities during a “routine flight”, according to the ministry.
It blamed a “technical failure” and reported no external damage to the aircraft, implying that missiles, drones or birds are not suspected of causing the crash.
Seven crew members and 23 passengers had been on board as it flew over the Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed the crash and said it had opened an inquiry into a flight safety violation.
News agency Tass reported that communication with the plane was lost at about 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, and the wreckage was found following a search and rescue effort.
