Russian general and 26 officers killed in plane crash in Syria
A major-general, 26 officers, ensigns, and contract soldiers were killed in the crash of a Russian An-26 transport plane in Syria, reported TASS, citing a source in the Russian Defense Ministry.
“As a result of the tragedy, 27 officers were killed, including one major-general, as well as ensigns and contract servicemen. There were no civilians on the An-26,” the Defense Ministry reported.
The commander of the aircraft was a first-class pilot with a little more than 3,000 flying hours. He had already landed planes at Khmeimim, the ministry said. The military also noted that the weather conditions for landing on Tuesday “were clear.” In addition, the Ministry of Defense clarified that the plane was flying from the Kuweires Airbase in Aleppo, Syria.
According to RBC news agency, Major-General Vladimir Eremeev was among those killed in the plane crash. Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov was at the Khmeimim Air base when the plane crashed, two sources in the Defense Ministry told RBC news agency. This was confirmed by a source close to the department.
There were no dangerous weather conditions in the Syrian province of Lakatia, where the air base is located, at the time of the landing. According to the leading expert of the Phobos center Yevgeniy Tishkovts, visibility was 15 km.
The An-26 Russian transport aircraft crashed in Syria around 15:00 Moscow time as it came in for a landing at the Khmeimim Air Base. On board there were 39 persons: 33 passengers and six crew members. All of them were Russian servicemen.
The cause of the crash, according to preliminary information, was possibly a technical malfunction.