A Russian Transport plane has crashed in Syria killing all 26 passengers on board along with six crew members, reports defence ministry.
As per Russian media, the An-26 plane crashed during landing at Hmeimim airbase, near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia. The preliminary information suggests that the crash could have caused due to technical malfunction.
“Around 15:00 (Moscow time, 12:00 GMT), a Russian An-26 transport aircraft crashed while coming in for landing at the Khmeimim airbase,” the statement issued by the ministry said.
“The reason for the crash according to preliminary information could have been a technical fault,” the ministry said, adding that the plane had not come under fire according to a report from the ground.
The respective authorities are now undergoing necessary investigation.
Last month, a Russian Sukhoi-25 attack aircraft was shot down over the northwestern province of Idlib, believed to have been hit by a shoulder-launched missile however, there is no any report of attack on the AN-26 plane.
Hmeimim is Russia’s main base for air strikes on rebel groups in Syria – strikes that have enabled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces to recover much lost ground.
Russian air strikes are said to have killed many civilians – though Moscow insists that it only targets rebel “terrorist” fighters.
