Russian military plane crashes in Syria, killing 32
A military transport plane has crashed at Russia’s airbase in Syria killing all 32 people on board.
The Antonov An-26 with 26 passengers and six crew came down 500m short of a runway at the Hmeimim base near Latakia, in the west of the country. Russia’s defence ministry said it had not been fired on as it approached. “According to preliminary information, the crash may have been caused by mechanical failure,” it added......
It appeared to be the biggest loss of servicemen in a single incident in Syria since Russia’s intervention in the country’s civil war began in 2015, although it was unclear who exactly was on board the aircraft. One unconfirmed report in Moscow said the aircraft was flying in from the Kuweires airbase in Aleppo province and there were some civilians on board......