Military prosecutor's office began checking on the fact of the crash of An-26 in Khmeimim

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MOSCOW, Mar. 6 - RIA Novosti. The main military prosecutor's office (GVP) announced the beginning of a check on the fact of the collapse of the Russian An-26 in Syria, the press service of the ministry reported.

"The main military prosecutor's office organized a check in connection with the air crash of a military transport aircraft of the Russian Federation Air Force on the basis of Khmeimim in Syria," the statement said.

It is noted that, if necessary, GWP staff are ready to take measures of prosecutorial response.

The crash in Khmeimim

Transport An-26 crashed when approaching the landing at the airfield Khmeimim, around 15:00 Moscow time. The plane collided with the earth, not reaching 500 meters to the runway, the defense department said.

On board the aircraft were 26 passengers and 6 crew members. According to preliminary data, they all died.

Causes of the disaster

According to the Ministry of Defense of Russia, the cause of the crash could be a technical malfunction.

The department added that they did not record the fire impact in the area of ​​the plane crash. The special commission has already started to study possible versions of what happened.

The reaction of the HRO

The Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (HRO) expressed condolences in connection with the collapse of the military transport aircraft.

"The Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights expresses deep condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the crash of the An-26 plane near the airfield of Khmeimim in Syria, where the Russian air base is located," the organization said.

About the plane

An-26 is a light military-transport multipurpose aircraft intended for transportation of goods on lines of small and medium length.

The machine was designed by OKB Antonov (now the Ukrainian State Enterprise "Antonov"). The first flight took place on May 21, 1969.

The aircraft were produced serially at the Kiev Aviation Production Association in the period from 1969 to 1986. In total, Ukraine built 1398 aircraft, 420 of which went for export.

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