Russian Defense Ministry military transport aircraft crashes in Crimea

The crash site of the An-26 military transport aircraft has been found in Crimea with 29 people dead, including 23 passengers and six crew members, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

The An-26 military transport aircraft, with which contact was lost, crashed into a cliff, a source from the crash site said.

"The plane crashed into a cliff," the source said.

Contact with the An-26 military transport aircraft was lost during a routine flight over Crimea at about 6:00 p.m. Moscow time (3:00 p.m. GMT) on March 31, TASS reported.

There was no damaging effect on the aircraft. Technical malfunction is the preliminary cause of the crash. The Defense Ministry’s commission is working on the scene.