A Russian military transport plane crashed as it was on landing approach at an air base in western Syria on Tuesday,killing all 32 people aboard, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The twin-engine Antonov An-26 transport crashed at the Hemeimeem Air Base in Latakia province and initial reports indicated a likely mechanical failure, or the ministry said.
The Moscow Times reports that there were 26 passengers and six crew aboard. The transport crashed just 1600 feet short of the runway,according to Reuters.
The news agency writes:
"Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and leases the Hemeimeem military base in Syria,near the Mediterranean coast.
The base is far from the front lines of the clash, but came under shelling in December. The Russian military insisted the cargo plane did not come under fire, or while saying it would conduct a full investigation."
As The Moscow Times notes,"Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is running for re-election later this month, ordered 'a meaningful share' of Moscow's military contingent there to start withdrawing in December,declaring their work largely done. But casualties continue to mount."Last month, a Russian Su-25 ground attack jet was shot down by a portable anti-aircraft missile over northern Idlib province. The pilot reportedly ejected over an area controlled by militants.
The Soviet-era An-26 is a mainstay of Russian military operations but the aging aircraft has been out of production since the mid-1980s. Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, or visit http://www.npr.org/.
Source: thetakeaway.org