MOSCOW: A passenger plane crashed Thursday in Russia’s Far East, killing all 48 passengers and crew on board, officials said.

The Angara Airlines flight disappeared from radar, and searchers later found the burning wreckage on a hillside south of its planned destination in Tynda, more than 7,000 kilometers east of Moscow, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said.

Regional Gov. Vasily Orlov said all 48 people aboard were dead and announced three days of mourning in the Amur region.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash.

Interfax news agency reported adverse weather conditions at the time, citing unnamed sources. Several Russian outlets reported the aircraft was almost 50 years old.

The Soviet-designed twin turboprop plane had departed from Khabarovsk before heading to Blagoveshchensk and then Tynda.

Images circulated by state media show debris scattered among forest, surrounded by smoke.

Orlov said rescuers struggled to reach the site due to its remote location, 15 kilometers south of Tynda.

An earlier statement said 49 were on board, later corrected to 48. The reason for the discrepancy was unclear.

The transport prosecutor’s office said the plane was attempting to land a second time when it lost contact and disappeared from radar.

Authorities launched a probe on charges of flight safety violations resulting in multiple deaths, standard in aviation accidents.

Aviation incidents have been frequent in Russia, especially in recent years under international sanctions.