Russia says four people have survived Afghanistan crash of chartered plane bound for Moscow
Pilot of plane among survivors, Taliban’s chief spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Four people onboard a Russia bound charter plane that crashed in northern Afghanistan have survived, the Russian embassy in Kabul said.
The condition of two other passengers was not immediately clear, they added. The passengers were reportedly Russian nationals.
The pilot of the plane was among the survivors, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said.
Two provincial officials in Badakhshan said two other passengers had died, and the other four survivors were being looked after by Taliban representatives who had reached the remote mountainous site of the crash.
Mr Mujahid said that the investigative team of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate “continues their efforts to search for and provide assistance to the remaining individuals”.
On Sunday, the Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia said the plane, which was registered in Russia and had six people on board, disappeared from their radar in the Afghan airspace on Saturday. The confirmation came shortly after the local police officials in Afghanistan said they had received reports of a crash.
The pilot had warned that the aircraft was running low on fuel just 25 minutes before the plane vanished from radar screens, adding that an attempt will be made to land the plane in the next available territory north of Afghanistan in Tajikistan, reported Russian news outlet SHOT citing an unnamed source.
According to the report, both engines of the plane had stopped working.
Rostavasia said that the plane, which was a charter ambulance, was coming from Thailand’s Utapao airport in Pattaya to Moscow using the Indian and Uzbekistan airspace.
The aircraft was a French-made Dassault Aviation Falcon 10 jet manufactured in 1978, Rosaviatsia said in a statement.
Officials at the Russian embassy in Bangkok said that the flight was carrying out a private medical evacuation from Thailand’s Pattaya.
"On board was a bedridden patient in serious condition, a Russian citizen, who was transported from one of the hospitals in Pattaya to Russia," the RIA news agency reported, citing a source at Thailand’s Utapao International Airport.
"She was accompanied by her husband, a private entrepreneur, also a Russian citizen, who paid for the flight."
A criminal case has been opened by Russia’s Investigative Committee to determine if safety rules had been violated.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments